Why it’s important to talk about social mobility in apprenticeships

Supporting less advantaged individuals to access the benefits of apprenticeships has always been at the heart of my vision.

The positive and life-changing difference that apprenticeships make for individuals is well documented, the gain for employers who snap them up perhaps slightly less so!

Apprenticeships are not just about getting on that ladder and getting a career started, but successfully progressing through the ranks, empowered by the support given by apprenticeship employers and their training providers.

Put simply, empower apprentices to take on more responsibility, learn, develop and advance their skills and most will gain swift promotions, further learning opportunities, experience a variety of roles and even take on apprentices of their own. If you haven’t already, check out our Vacancy Snapshot pages to explore the profiles of apprentices and their achievements within each company in the ‘behind the scenes’ section.

Social Mobility in Apprenticeships

Spring-Summer 2020 marked a significant moment for Social Mobility and the apprenticeship agenda. A number of important reports were released by key organisations, highlighting the disparities that exist for individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds in accessing apprenticeships.

We know from research analysing data from 2018/19, that

apprentices in the most deprived quintiles in England are more likely to be undertaking intermediate apprenticeships (26%), whilst the opposite is true of degree apprenticeships*

We also know that

only 20% of degree apprenticeships with universities were taken by those aged 17-20*

and that

36% fewer disadvantaged apprentices are securing apprenticeships and that only 16% of degree apprentices (the fastest growing option) are disadvantaged**

The impact of the pandemic will further exacerbate these challenges. It is anticipated that up to 1.1 million young people will find themselves not in education, employment or training. They will be vying for opportunities at a time when there are fewer job vacancies available, and far greater competition for those vacancies, from a pool of candidates who may have more experience.

This means that brilliant, raw talent is at even more risk of being totally overlooked, simply due to the huge disparity that exists in how a person’s background has a direct impact on their future.

So, what are we, at Amazing Apprenticeships doing around Social Mobility?

Each week we speak with young people and individuals seeking apprenticeship opportunities and those working within them.

We collaborate with organisations working with some of the most disadvantaged individuals in England.

We take this insight and intelligence and apply it in every aspect of our work to make a positive difference – whether we are creating resources, working directly with policy makers, hosting workshops and training courses for employers or employing our own apprentices.

We are now drawing on this platform to raise awareness of the latest social mobility news and to inspire employers to consider the positive and impactful changes that they could be making to existing systems and processes.

We hosted our first social mobility focussed workshop this week welcoming over 100 employers to hear and access the latest research from key speakers from The Sutton Trust and the Social Mobility Commission – if you didn’t join us you can download the workshop, research and toolkits here.

We will continue to engage, inspire, raise awareness and help do something to improve it!

What can YOU do around social mobility?

Join us and find small ways to make a big difference in your organisation.

Stay informed – Sign up for new Amazing Apprenticeships newsletter where we will bring you the latest news, events and insight around social mobility and apprenticeships.

Test your SoMo knowledge – Take our 10 question quiz to check your understanding of social mobility issues affecting apprenticeships.

Learn, collaborate and immerse to drive positive change in your business! – Amazing Apprenticeships have launched a new programme of social mobility activity called The Genie Programme –GENuine Interest in Equality. We are accepting our first cohort of employers and have just 20 spaces available, you can register your interest for The Genie Programme at amazingapprenticeships.com/genie.

Stats as reported by *The Sutton Trust and ** Social Mobility Commission during our latest workshop.

*** https://www.suttontrust.com/our-research/covid-19-impacts-apprenticeships/