Week 256: Degree & Higher Apprenticeships overview

Latest reflections on the situation in England

For health reasons this is probably going to be my final update after almost five years of ongoing research. However, I do intend to continue updating my 2025 employer list in a separate post.on my blog.

With Civil Engineering having been especially prominent recently, my featured image is some infrastructure I photographed last month in Sheffield.

Headline data (England)

Since 1^st January 2020 I’ve been continuously tracking new vacancies that would be appropriate for Level 3 school/college leavers to apply for during their final year of full-time education or within a year of leaving. During the latest two-week period from 18^th to 30^th November I recorded:

201 new Degree/Professional Apprenticeship vacancies (Levels 6/7) and
122 new Higher Apprenticeship vacancies (Levels 4/5)
giving a total of 323 for the two weeks

In the 256 weeks from 1^st January 2020 to 30^th November 2024 I’ve now recorded:

37,061 new Degree/Professional Apprenticeships (Levels 6/7) and
28,987 new Higher Apprenticeships (Levels 4/5)
giving a total of 66,048

The average weekly totals across all 256 weeks have been:

145 DAs + 113 HAs = 258 average weekly total

Latest update on Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland

Having also tracked new vacancies in the three other devolved nations since 1^st June 2022, my latest running totals are as follows:

Scotland: 1,341 vacancies at SQF Levels 10/11
Wales: 338 vacancies at Levels 6/7 and 227 at Levels 4/5 (of which 10 required Welsh speakers)
Northern Ireland: 185 vacancies at Levels 6/7 and 55 at Levels 4/5

I published my latest report on Scotland on 1st September 2024.

Updated occupational analysis

Every week I update my occupational analysis, breaking the England vacancies down into what I loosely define as ‘occupational areas’. In some cases these differ from the official apprenticeship standards terminology. For each occupational area the total number of vacancies since January 2020 is given below for both degree/professional and higher apprenticeships.

Degree/Professional Apprenticeships (Levels 6/7):

In total there have been 37,061 new vacancies spread across 123 different occupational areas and starting salaries have ranged from £5,590 to £38,269pa, with the average being somewhere in the middle at around £19K to £20K. The occupational breakdown is as follows:

*Digital & Technology Solutions has its own detailed supplementary breakdown at the foot of the list.

5,921 Accountancy/Tax/Audit Professionals

5,081 Police Constables

3,548 *Digital & Technology Solutions: General

1,575 Civil Engineers

1,499 Chartered Managers: General Business

1,465 Software Engineers/Developers

1,307 Project Managers: General

1,143 Chartered Quantity Surveyors

976 Data Scientists/Analysts/Engineers

858 Nurses (637 Adult, 153 Mental Health, 55 Learning Disability, 13 Child)

801 Nuclear Engineers

733 Electrical & Electronic Engineers

690 Design & Development Engineers

634 Manufacturing Engineers

608 Solicitors

554 Supply Chain / Logistics Professionals

513 Banking/Financial Services/Investment Professionals

499 Building Services Design Engineers

481 Chartered Surveyors: Project Management / Real Estate / General Practice

475 Aerospace Engineers

445 Cyber Security Professionals

385 Sales Professionals

368 Digital Marketing Professionals

347 Professional Economists (NB A further 47 posts will be available in 2025)

335 Laboratory Scientists

327 Consulting Professionals

281 Environmental Practitioners

281 Healthcare Science Practitioners (66 Biomedical Sciences, 52 Radiation Physics & Engineering, 34 Cardiac Physiology, 31 Nuclear Medicine, 24 Audiology, 23 Respiratory & Sleep Physiology, 21 Medical Engineering, 20 Neurophysiology, 5 Digital Healthcare Science, 3 Clinical Informatics, 1 Rehabilitation Engineering, 1 Renal Technology)

276 Electromechanical Engineers

241 Food Technologists

229 Chartered Building Surveyors

213 Railway & Rail Systems Engineers

207 Chartered Managers: Retail Leadership

201 Project Controls Professionals

193 Construction Site Managers

191 Control Systems & Technical Support Engineers

190 Chartered Managers: Hospitality (Restaurants/Fast Food)

181 Chartered Managers: Food/Drink Manufacturing & Production

175 Operating Department Practitioners (NHS)

163 Radiographers (85 Diagnostic, 78 Therapeutic)

131 Occupational Therapists

116 Materials Science Technologists/Engineers

116 Social Workers

110 Digital User Experience (UX) Designers

95 Podiatrists

89 Design & Construction Managers / Architectural Technologists

87 Creative Digital Designers

85 Chemical/Process Engineers

84 Non-Destructive Testing Engineers

80 Packaging Professionals

78 Town Planners

75 Chartered Managers: Recruitment Specialists

70 Building Control Surveyors

64 Environmental Health Officers

61 Clinical Trials Specialists

59 Broadcast & Media Systems Engineers

58 Chartered Rural Surveyors (Land Agents)

46 Human Resources & People Professionals

46 Social Researchers

45 Chartered Managers: Manufacturing & Production (non-food)

44 Aerospace Software Engineers

43 Marketing/Brand Managers

42 Ordnance Munitions & Explosives (OME) Engineers

41 Physiotherapists

41 Transport Planners

38 Public Health Practitioners

37 Architectural Assistants

35 Chartered Managers: Social Change, Charities & Voluntary Sector

34 Chartered Managers: Hotel Management

34 Fire Safety Engineers

32 Geospatial Mapping Specialists

31 Journalists

30 Nuclear Business Managers

30 Serious & Complex Crime Investigators

25 Chartered Managers: Sports Business & Development

24 Insurance Professionals

22 Midwives

21 Speech & Language Therapists

20 Medical Doctors

18 Dietitians

16 Forestry Professionals

15 Chartered Surveyors: Land Buyers

14 Paramedics

13 Environmental Engineers

12 Chartered Land Surveyors

12 Theme Park Engineers

11 Financial Crime & Risk Managers

10 Propulsion Engineers

10 Youth Workers

9 Agricultural/Horticultural Advisers

9 Trading Standards Officers

8 Chartered Managers: Buying & Procurement

8 Gas Transmission Engineers

6 Actuarial Professionals

6 Chartered Legal Executives

6 Space Systems Engineers

5 Chartered Managers: Fitness & Leisure Centres

5 Health & Safety Managers

5 Operations Analysts

4 Assistant Teachers / Learning Coaches

4 Chartered Managers: Theme Parks

4 Facilities Managers

4 Nuclear Software Engineers

3 Assistant Archivists

3 Digital Transformation Engineers

3 Education Technology Specialists

3 Orthotists/Prosthetists

3 TV Production Managers

2 Emergency Planning Officers

2 Licensed Conveyancers

2 Lighting Designers

2 Nuclear Safety Engineers

2 Pensions Professionals

2 Robotics Engineers

2 Service Designers

2 Sonographers

1 Assistant Archaeologist

1 Community Centre Manager

1 Events Manager

1 Games Programmer

1 Geoscientist

1 Human Performance Engineer

1 Land Referencer

*DAs in Digital & Technology Solutions (DTS) open up a wide range of roles. Some vacancies specify the role, while others are flexible. The three most frequently specified roles have been Software Engineer/Developer, Data Analyst and Cyber Security Specialist and I’ve recorded these as three separate occupations in my DA listings above (Data Analysts being merged in with Data Scientists and Data Engineers for the purposes of my reports). Meanwhile, those DAs listed as Digital & Technology Solutions: General are either flexible or they lead to other specific roles. The following is a list of all the DTS roles I’ve recorded since 2020 and it now encompasses a total of 129 different job titles, which I’ve subdivided into themed groups to make it a bit more digestible:

Software Engineer, Software Developer, Software Tester
Data Scientist, Data Analyst, Global Data Analyst, Data Product Specialist, Sales Data Analyst, Data Engineer, Data Architect
IT Consultant, Solutions Consultant, Software Consultant, Software Implementation Consultant, Technical Consultant, Technology Consultant, Functional Consultant, Business Consultant, Dynamics Consultant, Security Consultant, Client Consultant, Application Management Consultant, Microsoft Dynamics & Power Applications Consultant
Network Engineer, DevOps Engineer, Solutions Engineer, Digital Solutions Engineer, Digital Engineer, Digital & Technology Engineer, Digital Manufacturing Engineer, Advanced Manufacturing Engineer, Software Manufacturing Engineer, Hardware Engineer, Systems Engineer, Business Systems Engineer, Controls Engineer, Control Systems Engineer, Automation Engineer, IT Engineer, IT Support Engineer, Technical Support Engineer, Service Desk Engineer, Cloud Engineer, Quality Assurance Engineer, Infrastructure Engineer, Telecommunications Engineer, Sales Engineer, Electronic Systems Design & Development Engineer
Digital Developer, Application Developer, Technology Developer, Business Systems Developer, Business Intelligence (BI) Developer, Automation Developer, Automation Test Developer, Full Stack Developer, Prototype Developer, WordPress Developer
Network Architect, Enterprise Architect, Solutions Architect, Digital Solutions Architect, Technology Architect
Financial Technologist (FinTech), Legal Technologist, People (HR) Solutions Technologist, Innovation Technologist, Credit Trading Technologist, Global Equities Technologist, Global Markets Technologist
Business Analyst, Technology Analyst, Business Technology Analyst, Cyber Security Analyst, Innovation Design Analyst, Agile Analyst, Applications Analyst, Applications Support Analyst, Technical Support Analyst, Operations Support Analyst, Support Desk Analyst, IT Support Analyst, IT Service Desk Analyst, Network Strategy Analyst, Global Mobility Analyst, Content Analyst, Security Operations Analyst, Process Mining Analyst, SAP Analyst
Technology Manager, Junior Product Manager, Sales Account Manager, Sales Operations Manager, Platform Manager, Service Manager, Engineering Information Manager, Associate Digital Delivery Manager, Project Manager
Content Strategist, Quantitative Strategist
AI Implementation Specialist, Sonar Algorithm Specialist, Infrastructure Specialist, DevOps/NetOps Specialist, Client Success Specialist, Insurance Consulting Specialist, Digital Project Delivery Support Specialist, Information Management & Technology Specialist, Control Systems Specialist, Rail Signal Control Systems Specialist, Amazon Web Services Specialist, Supervisory Control & Data Acquisition Specialist, Fixed Telecoms Specialist, Scientific Computing Specialist, Technology Operations & Service Delivery Specialist, Client Delivery Specialist, Microsoft 365 Product Specialist, IT Governance & Applications Support Specialist, Operations Resilience & Change Specialist, Innovation Foundry Specialist, Continuous Improvement & Automation Specialist
Digital Development Officer, Public Health Intelligence Officer
IT/Computing Technician, Second Line Support Technician
User Experience Researcher, Digital Social Media Executive, AI Technical Sales Adviser, Project Co-ordinator, IT Support / Helpdesk Administrator

Higher Apprenticeships (Levels 4/5):

In total there have been 28,987 new vacancies spread across 151 occupational areas and starting salaries have ranged from £5,002 to £40,300pa. The average is around £17K to £18K, except for Sports Coaches which are usually between £8 and £15K. The occupational breakdown is as follows:

2,385 Sales Executives

2,047 Accounting Technicians

1,725 Data Analysts

1,702 Software Developers

1,691 Project Management Associates

1,419 Sports Coaches (Children & Young People)

1,122 Nursing Associates

872 Construction Site Supervisors

821 Manufacturing Engineering Technicians

754 Quantity Surveying Technicians

733 Taxation Technicians

687 Network Engineers

643 Business Analysts

549 Procurement & Supply Chain Practitioners

518 Cyber Security Technologists

511 Social Care Practitioners (Adults/Children/Families/Young People)

489 Electrical & Electronic Technician Engineers

459 Software Testers

447 Public Relations & Communications Assistants

404 Building Services Engineering Technicians

377 Investment Operations Specialists

374 Buying & Merchandising Assistants

345 Insurance Practitioners

335 Civil Engineering Technicians

311 DevOps Engineers

293 Junior Management Consultants

292 Marketing Executives

287 Retail Managers

283 Technician Scientists

278 Healthcare Associate Practitioners (150 Reablement, 69 Multidisciplinary, 19 Diagnostic Imaging & Radiology, 10 Mammography, 8 Podiatry, 5 Speech Therapy, 3 Continuing Healthcare, 3 Intensive Care, 2 Dietetic Speech & Language, 2 Pre-Treatment Radiotherapy,2 Rehabilitation, 1 Critical Care, 1 Maternity, 1 Occupational Therapy, 1 Older Person Mental Health, 1 Wheelchair Therapy)

254 Construction Design & Build / Architectural Technicians

246 Associate Ambulance Practitioners

233 Early Years Lead Practitioners

220 Regulatory Compliance Officers

205 Police Community Support Officers

203 Policy Practitioners

196 Intelligence Analysts

194 Healthcare Science Associates/Technicians (64 Audiology & Hearing Aid Dispensing, 49 Medical Engineering, 39 Respiratory Physiology, 25 Genetics Technology, 4 Clinical Chemistry, 4 Tissue Retrieval, 2 Medical Physics, 2 Neurophysiology, 2 Rehabilitation Engineering, 1 Biomedicine, 1 Nuclear Medicine, 1 Orthoptics)

186 Mineral Products Technicians

181 People Professionals / HR Specialists

170 Construction Site Engineering Technicians

169 Railway Engineering Technicians

164 Quality Practitioners

160 Corporate Responsibility & Sustainability Practitioners

147 Food Production Technicians & Process Leaders

143 Propulsion Technicians (Automotive/Aerospace)

141 Hospitality Managers

137 Nuclear Technicians

130 Air Traffic Controllers

116 Journalists

105 Vehicle Damage Assessors

103 Internal Audit Practitioners

98 Actuarial Technicians

97 Audiovisual Technicians

90 Applications Support Leads

84 Financial Advisers/Paraplanners

79 Recruitment Consultants

78 Automation & Controls Engineering Technicians

78 Brewers

73 Business Operations Managers

64 Paralegals

64 Revenues & Welfare Benefits Officers

61 Market Research Executives

60 Information Managers

58 Business Improvement Practitioners

58 Learning & Skills Mentors/Coaches

56 Dairy Technologists

53 TV/Media Production Co-ordinators

51 Engineering Maintenance Technicians

49 Building Energy Management Systems (BEMS) Engineers

46 Ordnance Munitions & Explosives (OME) Technicians

42 Housing/Property/Lettings Managers

36 Countryside Rangers

33 Aircraft Engineering Technicians

29 Estate Agency Sales Negotiators

25 Data Protection Officers

25 Engineer Surveyors

23 Digital Product Managers

22 Land Referencers

20 Acoustics Technicians

20 Digital Accessibility Specialists

20 Gymnastics/Trampoline Coaches

18 Digital Community Managers

18 Football Coaches (Children & Young People)

16 Facilities Managers

15 Air Transport Operations Managers

15 Fibre Cable Engineers

15 Smart Energy Engineers

14 Historic Environment Advice Assistants

13 Film/TV Post-Production Technical Operators

12 Broadcast & Media Systems Technicians

12 Governance Officers

12 Hygiene Specialists

12 Passenger Transport Operations Managers (Road/Rail)

10 Antisocial Behaviour & Community Safety Officers

10 Counter Fraud Investigators

10 Early Intervention Practitioners

10 Employability Practitioners

10 Publishing Professionals

10 Town Planning Technicians

9 Digital Learning Designers

9 Marine Engineering Technicians

9 Port Marine Operations Officers

9 Rehabilitation Officers (Visual Impairment)

8 Cellular Network Field Engineers

8 Dental Technicians

8 School Business Professionals

7 Asset Managers

7 Computer Games Developers

7 Fire Safety Inspectors

6 Music Teachers

6 Outdoor Learning Specialists

6 Tax Technology Technicians

5 Arboriculturists / Tree Officers

5 Broadcasting Technical Operators

5 Data Engineers

5 Unified Communications Troubleshooters

5 Visual Merchandisers

4 Aircraft Certifying Technicians

4 Culinary Chefs

4 Music Recording Technicians

4 Padel Coaches

4 Payroll Associates

4 Space Engineering Technicians

3 Fashion & Textiles Technologists

3 Junior Animators

3 Pensions Administrators

3 Sports Development Officers

3 Utilities Technicians

3 Visual Effects Artists

2 Auctioneers

2 Chaplains

2 Cricket Coaches (Children & Young People)

2 Energy Specialists

2 Health Play Specialists

2 Horticultural/Landscaping Technicians

2 Lifting Equipment Operations Engineers

2 Manufacturing Process Leaders

2 Marine Pilots

2 Travel Executives

2 Water Recycling Engineers

1 Basketball Coach (Children & Young People)

1 Chemical Process Technician

1 Conveyancing Technician

1 Cultural Heritage Conservation Technician

1 Customs & Foreign Exchange Specialist

1 Fitness Club Manager

1 Fitness Instructor

1 Goalkeeping Coach (Children & Young People)

1 Health Informatics Specialist

1 Hotel Reception Manager

1 Lighting Designer

1 Metrology Technician

1 Proposals Co-ordinator

1 Scientific Instrument Maker

1 Small Vessel Chief Engineer

1 Tennis Coach

1 Wedding Accessories Designer

1 Wedding Venue Co-ordinator

1 Youth Justice Practitioner

Updated analysis by county and region

By county (loosely defined) the 66,048 higher and degree apprenticeships advertised in England since January 2020 have been distributed as follows:

Greater London (14,623)
Yorkshire (5,718)
West Midlands (4,214)
Greater Manchester (3,689)
Bristol & Gloucestershire (3,294)
Hampshire (2,344)
Berkshire (2,126)
Surrey (1,495)
Hertfordshire (1,466)
Cumbria (1,434)
Tyne & Wear (1,379)
Derbyshire (1,352)
Cheshire (1,347)
Cambridgeshire (1,316)
Nottinghamshire (1,197)
Sussex (1,186)
Lancashire (1,187)
Merseyside (1,152)
Essex (1,069)
Devon (1,039)
Warwickshire (986)
Buckinghamshire (958)
Suffolk (914)
Kent (901)
Somerset & South Bristol (857)
Leicestershire (852)
Dorset (830)
Oxfordshire (809)
Wiltshire (764)
Bedfordshire (756)
Staffordshire (732)
County Durham (603)
Northamptonshire (547)
Lincolnshire (504)
Norfolk (456)
Cornwall (444)
Worcestershire (443)
Shropshire (435)
Isle of Wight (101)
Northumberland (99)
Herefordshire (70)
Rutland (19)
Remote-working or flexible location* (114)
Region specified but not county (87)
Unspecified region (140)

*Regarding remote-working, something that’s been very noticeable since the pandemic in 2020 is not so much a big increase in remote-working but a big increase in hybrid-working. This can take various forms, but it usually means that an apprentice is required to be on-site for at least one to three days per week but otherwise can work from home. I don’t collect data on this but I think it’s important to be aware that, even for apprentices, hybrid is now quite a common pattern of working in roles where it’s practically possible to work from home.

Regional data: The table below shows how the breakdown by county stacks up regionally in the context of the local 15 to 24-year-old population. The population figures have been extracted from the latest ONS census data published in 2022 and my analysis provides the following information:

First number in bold = the latest cumulative number of vacancies for each region
Big number in brackets = the resident population of 15 to 24-year-olds in the region using the latest ONS data rounded to the nearest 100
Third figure in bold indexes my apprenticeship figures against the 15 to 24-year-old population. The ‘index’ shows the combined number of DAs and HAs since January 2020 per 1,000 of that population and the regions are then ‘ranked’ accordingly:

14,623 London (1,078,600: 13.56)
7,234 South West (645,800: 11.20)
8,809 North West (884,600: 9.96)
6,928 West Midlands (720,900: 9.61)
9,923 South East (1,040,500: 9.54)
5,977 East of England (685,300: 8.72)
5,732 Yorkshire & The Humber (670,800: 8.55)
4,375 East Midlands (593,700: 7.37)
2,193 North East (313,000: 7.01)
114 Remote or flexible
140 Unspecified region

66,048 Total England (6,633,200: 9.96)

Whilst my data is always going to have flaws in it, I think the above comparisons give a fair reflection of the regional differences that exist. The South West’s prominence is perhaps surprising, with Bristol being a particularly busy hub.

Footnote – how the data has been collected plus some general observations

Since 1^st January 2020 I’ve kept a record of degree, professional and higher apprenticeship vacancies posted in England and in doing so have built up an evolving occupational and regional analysis. I largely use data extracted daily from the government’s ‘Find an Apprenticeship’ website, whilst also keeping very close tabs on other national vacancy sources. I only record vacancies that are posted by or on behalf of specific named employers.

My target audience is Level 3 school and college leavers and those who influence and advise them. Therefore, I only include vacancies at Levels 4 to 7 that ‘work-ready’ 18/19-year-olds seeking their first permanent role could reasonably apply for, whether in their final year of school/college or after gaining up to twelve months’ temporary experience.

I use the term ‘work-ready’ because academic qualifications alone are never enough to compete successfully for a higher or degree apprenticeship. A UCAS points score of 112 is the most frequently quoted minimum entry requirement for DAs (sometimes more and often less),but it’s otherwise much more about the skills, qualities and insights an applicant can bring.

My data will never be fully reliable because not all vacancies are advertised nationally in a way that also gives an indication of precise numbers and locations. For that reason and others my reports always come with flaws, caveats and some editorial licence. However, I think the analyses I’ve built up paint a unique, intriguing and representative picture of what’s out there in a changing post-18 career landscape, as well as conveying a fairly realistic sense of comparative scale from both an occupational and regional perspective.

As a general observation I think it’s fair to say that there will never be enough degree apprenticeships to meet the potential demand. Where you live and/or whether you’re prepared to re-locate is a factor as well. To a certain extent there’s probably a mismatch between students’ aspirations and the actual occupations available too, which occasionally leads to reports of some of the less popular vacancies being hard to fill. In addition, only about 25% of overall apprenticeship vacancies are taken up by under-19s, which partly explains why my cumulative data falls well short of any official data based on apprenticeship starts. Meanwhile, a significant proportion of those Level 3 students who do take up apprenticeships will start on Level 3 programmes rather than progressing directly to Level 4 or above. The prominence of STEM occupations in my listings is also very noticeable.

One further significant observation is that NHS and other healthcare roles have become increasingly prominent in my data over time, thanks especially to the NHS Jobs website. However, these vacancies often stretch my criteria to the limit in terms of the maturity and experience they look for. Occasionally school/college leavers are actually mentioned in the person spec, but more often NHS vacancies are aimed at people with at least a few months’ experience or more. However, I’ve worked with a lot of young students in the past, especially those on Level 3 courses in the health and social care field and/or those with significant work/voluntary experience or caring responsibilities, who would be capable of making a very competitive application for such roles. Hence, I do include these vacancies if I think a mature 18/19-year-old would be considered, especially within a year of leaving school or college.

Finally, there’s sometimes an element of doubt about whether to include a vacancy under Degree or Higher. In these cases my policy is to count a vacancy as ‘Degree’ if it starts at Level 4 and moves seamlessly on to Level 6 or 7, but as ‘Higher’ if it starts at Level 4 with an option to progress to Level 6 as opposed to an expectation.

Although not stored electronically, I do have a written record of all 66,048 vacancies with details of the employer, occupation, location(s), minimum starting salary (if known) and, in the case of DAs, minimum entry grades and degree provider. As a guidance practitioner myself it’s been an incredibly illuminating and informative process, transforming my own perceptions about the labour market.

https://alanbullockcareers.com