Junior apprenticeship provision expanded across Wales

More year 10 and year 11 pupils are set to benefit from junior apprenticeship provision in Wales, with a 50% increase in funding.

Junior apprenticeships provide learners who might otherwise be at risk of disengaging from education with a meaningful pathway to further education, apprenticeship and employment. 

Through Medr, the Welsh Government has invested £600k in junior apprenticeships this year, which has helped support Grŵp Llandrillo Menai and Coleg y Cymoedd to offer vocational junior apprenticeship pathways alongside five other colleges across Wales.

An Estyn review in May 2024 highlighted the success of junior apprenticeships in supporting learners. 

Medr has worked closely with further education colleges to provide for the expansion of junior apprenticeships into two more colleges, increasing provision and choice for young learners in Wales.

The programme offers work-related education with work experience built in. This is alongside a Level 2 course equivalent to up to four or five GCSEs, in a range of vocational pathways, along with maths and English/Welsh.

Having been asked by the Welsh Government to expand the programme further, with an additional £200k in funding this year, Medr worked closely with Coleg y Cymoedd and Grŵp Llandrillo Menai to support putting provision and programmes in place for junior apprenticeships this year. They will now join the five colleges across Wales who already deliver junior apprenticeships.

Coleg y Cymoedd will now offer learners on its Rhondda campus the choice of three distinct pathways: creative media, hair and beauty, and hospitality and catering.

Nathan Prygodzicz, Headteacher Ferndale Community School explained:

“Ferndale Community School are delighted to be a part of an innovative junior apprenticeship pilot involving RCT schools and Coleg y Cymoedd. It has been a breath of fresh air working in partnership to extend the opportunities that we can provide our pupils.

“A range of new, exciting vocational pathways that complement our existing 14-16 offer have been gratefully received by the targeted pupils and their parents. It has already had a significant impact on pupil well-being, engagement and attendance, and we are confident that with continued partnership working we can continue to provide the best life and employment chances for a group of pupils who had become disengaged within the ‘normal’ school environment.”

  Izzy is one of the students to benefit from the scheme, and said:

“Before this provision I was bunking and not getting an education. I was a professional bunking student and never got taught.

“Now I care about coming on time, I have confidence, and I want to pass my GCSEs. I’ve made friends too — I never had friends before, just bunking buddies.

“I managed to score the best result I’ve ever had in maths, thanks to being here. It was the first time I was proud to show my results to my parents.”

Paul Flanagan, Principal at Coleg Llandrillo, said:

“The junior apprenticeship pilot has already shown the tremendous impact the programme can have on learners and their families – the engagement, attendance, and high-quality vocational work we are seeing is inspiring, with young people already talking confidently about their next steps and future careers in sectors that really need their skills.

“None of this would have been possible without the support of Medr, our local schools, and the local authority. It demonstrates what can be achieved when we collaborate with a clear focus on putting learners first.”

Aled Jones Griffith CEO Grŵp Llandrillo Menai added:

“The junior apprenticeship programme is crucial in ensuring that learners from all backgrounds and of all academic abilities have the opportunity to develop skills that will open doors to future careers. The programme provides young learners with a strong foundation to progress to full-time study and ultimately into rewarding employment.

“We are proud to be delivering this transformative provision and can already see the hugely positive impact it is having on young people’s lives.”

And the benefits can also be clearly be seen by parents, with Rachael saying:

“I have seen a difference in him already. He enjoys being treated as a young adult.

“The chill zone has helped him to regulate his behaviour, especially if he feels overwhelmed. The sessions are delivered in such a way that he has the time to consider what he has learnt. He wants to come to college and gets up before me every day.

“For the first time, he tells us about what he has done during the day. He is really opening up to me. I feel the course has given him a sense of purpose – he seems much lighter. I can relate to the change in him as people just learn in different ways.”

The Cabinet Secretary for Education, Lynne Neagle, welcomed the enhanced provision:

“I am pleased to have had the opportunity to visit colleges delivering the junior apprenticeship programme and to hear from the young people about the positive impact the programme has.

“Collaboration is key to the success of junior apprenticeships, school, colleges, and local authorities working together to create opportunities for young people. I’m pleased to see provision now expanded to two new colleges, and I would like to thank Grŵp Llandrillo Menai and Coleg y Cymoedd for their work.

“The vocational training that young people can undertake via a junior apprenticeship is varied and provides fantastic skills which can help young people to progress to a higher vocational course or apprenticeship. Crucially, junior apprenticeships are supporting learners who might have otherwise dropped out of education or training, to be fully engaged and looking to expand their learning journey post-16.”

Medr will continue to work with other colleges across Wales to explore further avenues of increasing and expanding provision for the 2026/27 academic year.