Headline news Contrary to my gloomy prediction last week, the latest data in my weekly report is exceptionally encouraging. The reason for this is partly because I’ve been proactively trawling my vacancy sources to check out some of the larger providers whom I’ve previously missed. However, by doing this it has been reassuring to see … Continue reading 33 weeks after the start of ‘lockdown’: more good news about the impact of COVID-19 on Higher & Degree Apprenticeship vacancies in England

Headline news Week 32 saw a continuation of the recent upsurge in new DA and HA vacancies in England. However, I’m going to stick my neck out on this occasion and predict what I think might happen between now and the end of 2020. My honest reading of it is that, especially with a second … Continue reading 32 weeks after the start of ‘lockdown’: are Higher & Degree Apprenticeship vacancies in England at a pivotal point?

Headline news The positive trend continued in Week 31. The downturn in new DA and HA vacancies that was close to 80% in early-Spring has now been reduced to just under 43%. That said, there are a few inconsistencies in the way I collect my data, which I have briefly explained below. One of the … Continue reading 31 weeks after the start of ‘lockdown’: Higher & Degree Apprenticeship vacancies in England continue to bounce back

Headline news The positive trend continued in Week 30, albeit partially helped by a small adjustment to my previous data.      Background Since ‘lockdown’ started on Monday 23rd March 2020 I have kept a record of all new higher and degree apprenticeship vacancies posted in England, largely but not exclusively using the government’s ‘Find an apprenticeship’ … Continue reading 30 weeks after the start of ‘lockdown’: Higher & Degree Apprenticeship vacancies in England continue to bounce back

Headlines There’s a lot more good news this week and it has led me to take a new approach to my weekly blog. Many of the bigger providers are actively promoting their 2021 programmes and the only downside is that it’s impossible to keep tabs on the precise number of vacancies, so in some cases … Continue reading 29 weeks after the start of ‘lockdown’: Higher & Degree Apprenticeship vacancies in England are on the rise

Headlines There’s more good news this week. With bigger providers like EY, BDO, RSM, Grant Thornton, Morrisons, JP Morgan and Dyson Institute actively recruiting again, numbers are going up. The occupational and regional LMI generated by this is also becoming all the more interesting. I have had to tweak my approach slightly, but I’ve briefly … Continue reading 28 weeks after the start of ‘lockdown’: latest update on the impact of COVID-19 on Higher & Degree Apprenticeship vacancies in England

More news just in from my Welsh correspondent. Aberystwyth Uni has put together two new series of webinars for 6th Form/FE students. They start on Monday but continue through October and November. The first series is: "What are Admissions Tutors Looking For?" These are 30-minute faculty-based webinars featuring input from admissions tutors across a range … Continue reading Upcoming Monday webinars by Aberystwyth University

Headlines I’m pleased to report very positive news at last. It does incorporate some editorial licence on my part, but that’s because Week 27 is when we’ve started to see clear evidence of the bigger providers starting to open their 2021 recruitment. Some large recruiters seem to be deserting the government’s apprenticeship site and others … Continue reading 27 weeks after the start of ‘lockdown’: latest update on the impact of COVID-19 on Higher & Degree Apprenticeship vacancies in England

Latest developments The plot thickens! I would summarise Week 26 developments as follows: The slump in new Degree Apprenticeship (DA) vacancies continued with only 12 new vacancies posted in Week 26, following on from the paltry 9 in Week 25.In contrast the number of Higher Apprenticeship (HA) vacancies continued to hold up well, with 84 … Continue reading 26 weeks after the start of ‘lockdown’: latest update on the impact of COVID-19 on Higher & Degree Apprenticeship vacancies in England

Headlines This week’s report is a medley of highs, lows and signs of an intriguing trend. The low point was that in Week 25 the number of new Degree Apprenticeship (DA) vacancies advertised in England and suitable for school/college leavers came to a dismal total of nine. This must surely be the lowest figure since … Continue reading 25 weeks after the start of ‘lockdown’: latest update on the impact of COVID-19 on Higher & Degree Apprenticeship vacancies in England