Sta/Medr/15/2025: Apprenticeships learning programmes started: February to April 2025 (provisional)

Key points

• There were 3,895 apprenticeship learning programmes started in 2024/25 Q3 (p), compared with 4,570 starts in 2023/24 Q3.
• Level 2 foundation apprenticeships saw the largest fall compared to Q3 the previous year, a 19% drop (p).
• Healthcare and Public Services apprenticeships were the most popular sector in 2024/25 Q3 (p) with 1,985 programmes started. This accounted for 51% of all apprenticeship learning programmes started.
• 67% of apprenticeship learning programmes started were by female learners in 2024/25 Q3 (p), no change from 2023/24 Q3.
• 44% of apprenticeship learning programmes started were by learners aged between 25 and 39 in 2024/25 Q3 (p), compared to 42% in Q3 for the previous year.
• 16% of apprenticeship learning programmes started were by learners with ethnic minority backgrounds in 2024/25 Q3 (p), a 3 percentage point increase from 2023/24 Q3.
• 13% of apprenticeship learning programmes started in 2024/25 Q3 (p) were by learners identifying as having a disability and/or learning difficulty.
• 12% of apprenticeship learning programmes started were by learners living in the 10% most deprived neighbourhoods in Wales in 2024/25 Q3 (p).
• There have been 77,385 apprenticeship starts since Q4 2020/21, as part of progress towards Welsh Government’s target of 100,000 apprenticeships. Including the starts which are not counted as part of the more rigorous target measure, there were 85,415 apprenticeship starts overall in the time period.
• The Programme for Government contained a target to create 125,000 all-age apprenticeships. During the Economy, Trade and Rural Affairs Committee meeting on 26 June 2024, the Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Energy and Welsh Language agreed a new target of 100,000 all-age apprenticeships to maintain the previous Senedd term’s target of 100,000.

The Welsh Government financial year budget for apprenticeships in 2023-24 was £139m and £144m in 2024-25 (Source: Medr Funding Allocations 2025 to 2026). Previously, there was additional funding for apprenticeships from the European Social Fund (£43m in 2023-24 Medr Funding Allocations 2025 to 2026). This ceased by the 2024-2025 financial year.