Union L&D body buoyed by rapid increase in apprenticeship take up as 256,000 posts are snapped up in six months.

Unionlearn welcomes the rising number of apprenticeships. Figures from the department for Business, Innovation and Skills showing that over 256,000 people took up an apprenticeship in the first half of the academic year 2011/12. Of these, over 156,000 were with under 25 year olds. It is encouraging that employers are taking on more young people; we hope the government does more to encourage this further.

Tom Wilson, director of Unionlearn said: “We welcome the fact that there have been so many apprenticeships starts in the past year. We urge ministers to continue their investment in supporting successful apprenticeships. We’re pleased to see these apprenticeships spread across age ranges with older learners benefiting from over 100,000 of these learning opportunities. However, we do want the Government to be able guarantee that an apprenticeship is available to every young person who wants one. Trade union reps and officers are crucial to ensuring many more quality apprenticeships in the workplace and Unionlearn is committed to supporting this over the coming years.”