Sta/Medr/13/2025: Apprenticeships learning programmes started: November 2024 to January 2025 (provisional)

Key points

• There were 3,620 apprenticeship learning programmes started in 2024/25 Q2 (p), compared with 4,525 starts in 2023/24 Q2.
• Level 3 apprenticeships saw the largest fall compared to Q2 the previous year, a 26% drop.
• There were 205 less construction apprenticeships starts compared to Q2 the previous year, a 48% drop.
• Healthcare and Public Services apprenticeships were the most popular sector in 2024/25 Q2 (p) with 1,720 programmes started. This accounted for 48% of all apprenticeship learning programmes started.
• 62% of apprenticeship learning programmes started were by female learners in 2024/25 Q2 (p), a 3 percentage point increase from 2023/24 Q2.
• 42% of apprenticeship learning programmes started were by learners aged between 25 and 39 in 2024/25 Q2 (p), compared to 38% in Q2 for the previous year.
• 15% of apprenticeship learning programmes started were by learners with ethnic minority backgrounds in 2024/25 Q2 (p), a 3 percentage point increase from 2023/24 Q2.
• 13% of apprenticeship learning programmes started in 2024/25 Q2 (p) were by learners identifying as having a disability and/or learning difficulty, a 2 percentage point increase from 2023/24 Q2.
• There have been 73,795 apprenticeship starts since Q4 2020/21, as part of progress towards Welsh Government’s target of 100,000 apprenticeships.
• 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.

Note: Figures with (p) are provisional.

The Welsh Government financial year budget for apprenticeships in 2023-24 was £139m and £144m in 2024-25 (Source: Final Budget 2023 to 2024, Final Budget 2024 to 2025).

Previously, there was additional funding for apprenticeships from the European Social Fund (over £40m in 2023-24 Draft Budget 2025 to 2026: evidence to the Senedd Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee). This ceased by the 2024-2025 financial year.