Alan Milburn: Employers should prioritise new starters
Alan Milburn has said businesses should prioritise new starters over existing employees, as a list of the UK’s top apprenticeship employers is published.
The former health secretary and author of the review into young people and work highlighted the decline in apprenticeships for young people. Apprenticeship starts among under-19s have nearly halved in a decade – down from 130,000 to 75,000. Entry-level starts at Level 2, the traditional gateway for school-leavers, have collapsed by 68%.
He added that the UK has seen the largest decline since 2013 in the proportion of young people enrolled in work-based learning programmes of any OECD country.
Writing for the Sunday Times, as it published its top 100 apprenticeship employers list, he said: “Apprenticeships, done well, don’t just fill a vacancy. They open a door that for many young people would otherwise stay shut.
“The organisations in these pages know that. In aerospace and ambulances, banking and broadcasting, they are proving that apprenticeships work – powerfully. A Level 3 apprenticeship delivers over 50% more lifetime economic value than the classroom equivalent. Every successful career starts somewhere, and these employers have chosen to be that somewhere for thousands of young people every year.”
Apprenticeship employers
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He said that barriers to getting on an apprenticeship are compounding the problem, saying that application processes are far more complex than for university.
“I understand the pressures employers face,” he said. “The cost of hiring young people has risen. For smaller firms in hospitality, retail and care – the sectors that have historically been the easiest way in – the economics are genuinely difficult.
“But there is a longer-term calculation to make. Migration is falling. The population is ageing. The employers who invest in young people now are not just doing the right thing. They are building the workforce their businesses will depend on in a decade.”
He said the solution is straightforward: “Commit to recruiting apprentices at entry level, not just upskilling existing staff. Work with schools and colleges to make opportunities visible and accessible. Simplify your hiring processes – the multistage application that works for a graduate role is a barrier for a 17-year-old with no track record. Offer the mentoring, structure and patience that turns potential into performance.”
The Sunday Times list is dominated by employers in the military, with the British Army topping the list with over 13,500 apprentices, comprising 17.2% of its workforce. The Royal Navy and Royal Air Force follow, with nearly 7,000 and 4,000 apprentices respectively.
BAE Systems is the UK’s largest private-sector apprenticeship employer, with a record 5,100 apprentices on more than 100 schemes from entry to degree level including nuclear engineering, systems, software engineering, welding, pipefitting and aircraft maintenance.
Busy Bees Nurseries were positioned fifth, with more than 1,100 apprentices, representing 15% of its workforce in the UK. Deloitte is the highest ranking professional services firm on the list, with more than 2,200 apprentices.
Other apprenticeship employers in the top 10 include hospitality business Mitchells and Butlers, Kids Planet Day Nurseries, London Ambulance Service and Amazon.
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