Apprenticeship starts up 85% says Semta

All areas of England have seen a rise in new apprentices in the past two years with the West Midlands (227%), East Midlands (174%), North East (133%) and Yorkshire & Humber (109%) at the top of the league. The latest figures released by Semta, the sector skills council for science, engineering and advanced manufacturing, show most of the new starts have been at intermediate level (142%), with a smaller rise (23%) in the number of advanced and higher level apprentices. Today the National Apprenticeship Service (NAS) and Semta will update skills minister Matthew Hancock at a House of Lords on their Apprenticeship Ambition partnership agreement to double the number of Advanced and Higher Level Apprenticeships for the advanced manufacturing and engineering sector by 2015/16. Semta chief executive Sarah Sillars said while the figures showed the ambition was on track there was no room for complacency. She continued: "To have 31,070 new starters in the sector in 2011/12, compared to 22,300 in 2010/11, and 16,760 in 2009/10 shows how much excellent work has been going on to meet the skills challenge by both organisations. "These are real jobs, many paying well above the national average, with young people earning as they learn new skills. "But we shouldn't rest on our laurels. Engineering and manufacturing still has an image problem – we need more teachers and parents to understand apprenticeships will benefit their children and not somebody else's."