Sonru.com

City & Guilds - the UK's leading vocational education organisation and largest supplier of Apprenticeship qualifications, launched a report 'Building Business Through Apprenticeships' earlier this month and it makes for very interesting reading. The findings are based on the responses of over 500 employers surveyed across the UK. Two-thirds of employers (66 per cent) believe Apprenticeships are vital to ensure that the UK can compete in the changing global economy but despite this, currently there are only eleven Apprenticeship places for every 1000 employees in the UK .

Report Snapshot

• 80% of employers have experienced barriers to hiring apprentices
• 25% argue the process is too bureaucratic
• Over a quarter (26%) don't feel there are relevant apprentice schemes for their business
• 20% feel the current economic climate makes it too risky to commit to an Apprenticeship programme.

Many businesses, large or small, know that Apprenticeships can transform their organisation, but unless the barriers preventing more employers, particularly SMEs, from hiring an apprentice are addressed, there will continue to be a gap between supply and demand. There will also be over 210,000  people who won't get a place at university this summer. And, with our increasingly ageing population, core industry skills and quality of experience will continue to leave the UK workforce. City & Guilds is leading a new kind of revolution to help solve the challenges of Apprenticeships so that more employers can offer places.
Chris Jones, CEO and Director General, City & Guilds

In response, the Government, recognising that Apprenticeships are key to the success of the future UK economy, have increased their funding and support - led by the National Apprenticeship Service (NAS) - to enable an additional 75,000 new Apprenticeships starts per year, from now until September 2013.