Apprenticeship starts
Published
1. Main facts and figures
- in the 10 academic years to July 2024, the total number of apprenticeships started went down by 32.1% – from 499,890 to 339,580
- the number of apprenticeships started by White people went down by 36.9% - from 442,340 to 279,320
- the number of apprenticeships started by people from ethnic minority backgrounds (not including White minorities) went up by 3.9% – from 53,180 to 55,280
- in the year ending July 2024, White people made up 83.5% of people starting apprenticeships, and 83.0% of the general population of England aged 16 and over (based on 2021 Census data)
Further research
Recent qualitative research by the National Centre for Social Research found several barriers to ethnic minority young people participating in and completing apprenticeships. The study found that there was a lack of awareness and understanding about apprenticeships among ethnic minority communities. Low wages within apprenticeships were also found to be a significant deterrent.
Among some of the factors contributing to lower completion and achievement rates, the study reported the participants feeling discriminated against within apprenticeship programmes. Young people also reported that a lack of visible ethnic minority role models within apprenticeship programmes and among employing organisations discouraged participation.
2. Things you need to know
What the data measures
The data shows the number of apprenticeships started in each academic year (1 August to 31 July), by ethnicity.
The data only includes people funded by the government.
The number of people who started apprenticeships are rounded to the nearest 10. This means totals may not always add up.
Percentages are rounded to 1 decimal place.
The ethnic groups used in the data
Data is shown for 5 aggregated ethnic groups:
- Asian
- Black
- Mixed
- White
- Other
This means estimates are shown for these groups as a whole. This is because the number of people in apprenticeships was too small to make any reliable conclusions about any of the 19 ethnic groups used in the 2021 Census.
The percentages by ethnicity do not include people whose ethnicity was not known. This was 1.5% of apprenticeship starts in the academic year ending in July 2024.
The population data from the 2021 Census shows the population of England aged 16 and over for each group
Methodology
Read the detailed methodology document for this data on this page.
If someone starts more than one apprenticeship in the same academic year, they are counted for each apprenticeship they start.
3. By ethnicity compared with the overall population
| Apprenticeship Starts | Population aged 16 and over (2021 Census) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ethnicity | Apprenticeship Starts % | Apprenticeship Starts Number | Population aged 16 and over (2021 Census) % | Population aged 16 and over (2021 Census) Number |
| All | 100.0 | 339,580 | 100.0 | 35,605,685 |
| Asian | 7.4 | 24,730 | 9.0 | 4,134,385 |
| Black | 4.5 | 15,090 | 3.9 | 1,792,295 |
| Mixed | 3.6 | 12,030 | 2.0 | 938,200 |
| White | 83.5 | 279,320 | 83.0 | 38,191,370 |
| Other | 1.0 | 3,430 | 2.1 | 950,605 |
| Unknown | N/A* | 4,980 | N/A* | N/A* |
Download table data for ‘By ethnicity compared with the overall population’ (CSV) Source data for ‘By ethnicity compared with the overall population’ (CSV)
Summary of Apprenticeship starts By ethnicity compared with the overall population Summary
Population figures are based on data from the 2021 Census and cover the general population of England aged 16 years and over.
The data shows that, in the year ending in July 2024:
- White people made up 83.5% of apprenticeship starts, and 83.0% of the general population
- Asian people made up 7.4% of apprenticeship starts, and 9.0% of the general population
- Black people made up 4.5% of apprenticeship starts, and 3.9% of the general population
4. By ethnicity over time
| All | Asian | Black | Mixed | White | Other | Unknown | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | All % | All Starts | Asian % | Asian Starts | Black % | Black Starts | Mixed % | Mixed Starts | White % | White Starts | Other % | Other Starts | Unknown % | Unknown Starts |
| 2002/03 | 100.0 | 167,690 | 2.1 | 3,510 | 1.5 | 2,560 | 1.1 | 1,770 | 94.6 | 157,270 | 0.6 | 1,060 | N/A* | 1,520 |
| 2003/04 | 100.0 | 193,560 | 2.2 | 4,210 | 1.5 | 2,820 | 1.2 | 2,260 | 94.8 | 182,140 | 0.3 | 670 | N/A* | 1,460 |
| 2004/05 | 100.0 | 189,030 | 2.5 | 4,660 | 1.6 | 2,920 | 1.3 | 2,460 | 94.2 | 176,450 | 0.4 | 820 | N/A* | 1,720 |
| 2005/06 | 100.0 | 174,970 | 2.4 | 4,100 | 1.4 | 2,350 | 1.3 | 2,310 | 94.5 | 164,120 | 0.4 | 750 | N/A* | 1,340 |
| 2006/07 | 100.0 | 184,430 | 2.6 | 4,680 | 1.3 | 2,430 | 1.5 | 2,660 | 94.3 | 172,470 | 0.4 | 750 | N/A* | 1,440 |
| 2007/08 | 100.0 | 224,770 | 2.9 | 6,500 | 1.6 | 3,600 | 1.4 | 3,150 | 93.6 | 208,230 | 0.4 | 1,000 | N/A* | 2,290 |
| 2008/09 | 100.0 | 239,960 | 4.0 | 9,450 | 2.2 | 5,110 | 1.6 | 3,840 | 91.7 | 217,890 | 0.5 | 1,220 | N/A* | 2,450 |
| 2009/10 | 100.0 | 279,670 | 3.4 | 9,390 | 2.3 | 6,390 | 1.8 | 5,020 | 92.0 | 254,780 | 0.5 | 1,430 | N/A* | 2,660 |
| 2010/11 | 100.0 | 457,210 | 4.3 | 19,270 | 3.2 | 14,610 | 1.8 | 8,290 | 89.9 | 407,050 | 0.8 | 3,440 | N/A* | 4,550 |
| 2011/12 | 100.0 | 520,580 | 4.0 | 20,720 | 3.4 | 17,350 | 1.9 | 9,850 | 90.1 | 464,960 | 0.7 | 3,430 | N/A* | 4,270 |
| 2012/13 | 100.0 | 510,220 | 3.9 | 19,690 | 3.3 | 16,590 | 2.0 | 10,110 | 90.1 | 455,440 | 0.7 | 3,380 | N/A* | 5,010 |
| 2013/14 | 100.0 | 440,420 | 4.3 | 18,600 | 3.1 | 13,650 | 2.2 | 9,470 | 89.7 | 391,480 | 0.7 | 3,110 | N/A* | 4,110 |
| 2014/15 | 100.0 | 499,890 | 4.3 | 21,510 | 3.5 | 17,250 | 2.2 | 10,930 | 89.3 | 442,340 | 0.7 | 3,500 | N/A* | 4,380 |
| 2015/16 | 100.0 | 509,360 | 4.3 | 21,380 | 3.5 | 17,500 | 2.2 | 11,100 | 89.4 | 448,830 | 0.7 | 3,500 | N/A* | 7,060 |
| 2016/17 | 100.0 | 494,880 | 4.5 | 22,010 | 3.7 | 18,080 | 2.3 | 11,020 | 88.7 | 434,220 | 0.9 | 4,200 | N/A* | 5,360 |
| 2017/18 | 100.0 | 375,760 | 4.7 | 17,430 | 3.3 | 12,340 | 2.5 | 9,390 | 88.6 | 327,720 | 0.8 | 3,070 | N/A* | 5,820 |
| 2018/19 | 100.0 | 393,380 | 5.5 | 21,370 | 3.5 | 13,510 | 2.7 | 10,520 | 87.5 | 338,330 | 0.8 | 2,990 | N/A* | 6,660 |
| 2019/20 | 100.0 | 322,530 | 5.8 | 18,250 | 3.9 | 12,240 | 2.7 | 8,680 | 86.7 | 273,980 | 0.9 | 2,970 | N/A* | 6,410 |
| 2020/21 | 100.0 | 321,440 | 6.1 | 19,280 | 4.2 | 13,200 | 3.0 | 9,520 | 85.7 | 269,170 | 0.9 | 2,850 | N/A* | 7,430 |
| 2021/22 | 100.0 | 349,190 | 6.5 | 22,320 | 4.0 | 13,580 | 3.3 | 11,490 | 85.3 | 293,180 | 0.9 | 3,010 | N/A* | 5,620 |
| 2022/23 | 100.0 | 337,140 | 7.0 | 23,180 | 4.1 | 13,460 | 3.4 | 11,260 | 84.6 | 280,920 | 1.0 | 3,220 | N/A* | 5,100 |
| 2023/24 | 100.0 | 339,580 | 7.4 | 24,730 | 4.5 | 15,090 | 3.6 | 12,030 | 83.5 | 279,320 | 1.0 | 3,430 | N/A* | 4,980 |
Download table data for ‘By ethnicity over time’ (CSV) Source data for ‘By ethnicity over time’ (CSV)
Summary of Apprenticeship starts By ethnicity over time Summary
The data shows that in the 10 years to July 2024:
- the percentage of apprenticeships started by Asian people went up from 4.3% to 7.4% – the number went up from 21,510 to 24,730
- the percentage of apprenticeships started by people with Mixed ethnicity went up from 2.2% to 3.6% – the number went up from 10,930 to 12,030
- the percentage of apprenticeships started by Black people went up from 3.5% to 4.5% – the number went down from 17,250 to 15,090
- the percentage of apprenticeships started by White people went down from 89.3% to 83.5% – the number went down from 442,340 to 279,320
5. Data sources
Source
Apprenticeships, academic year 2023 to 2024
Type of data
Administrative data
Type of statistic
National Statistics
Publisher
Department for Education
Publication frequency
Yearly
Purpose of data source
The Department for Education uses data about learners' demographics and their type of learning to allocate funding. Apprentices participating on apprenticeship programme aims are included in this data.
Secondary source
Ethnic group, national identity, language, and religion: Census 2021 in England and Wales
Type of data
Survey data
Type of statistic
Official statistics
Publisher
Office for National Statistics
Publication frequency
Ad-hoc
Purpose of data source
The Census takes place every 10 years. Census data gives the government the information it needs to plan and run public services. It is also used as a benchmark for other statistical estimates, and can help illustrate differences between various groups in the population.
6. Download the data
This file contains the following: measure, ethnicity, ethnicity_type, time, time_type, geography, geography_code, age, value_type, unknowns_note, value, denominator, numerator