We will deliver 100,000 more apprenticeships by the end of the next parliament and fund it by cutting the low-value degrees which have been making people poorer.
We want young people to secure the best opportunities with a good well-paid job which means we need to crack down on university degrees that have not been working for young people at the expense of the taxpayer.
This bold action will ensure young people have the skills they need to get good, secure jobs. Labour would halve the number of apprenticeships and take young people back to square one.
We plan to deliver 100,000 more apprenticeships every year by the end of next parliament, securing opportunities for young people. Thanks to our reforms 70% of occupations are covered by apprenticeships but we will go further by expanding the number of apprenticeships.
This will build on the progress we have already made in delivering almost 5.8 million apprenticeships since 2010 and getting more disadvantaged students into university. In 2023, the number of disadvantaged students applying to the most selective universities continued to rise and is up by 7% since last year
Key to this will be reforming apprenticeships to boost uptake and cut red-tape for businesses. We are already fully funding young people to do an apprenticeship in SMEs, alongside increasing the SME funding from apprenticeship levy payers, and we will put all apprenticeships on UCAS so young people can compare apprenticeships in the same way they would a university degree.
Apprenticeships are a great option for young people because they let you earn while you learn. Instead of sitting in a classroom all day, you get hands-on experience and real-world skills right from the start. Plus, you work alongside experienced professionals who teach you the ropes. Apprenticeships often lead directly to a job, and you can avoid the student debt that comes with university. It's a practical way to jumpstart your career.
