Apprentices furloughed or made redundant during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic: up to 24 September 2021

This data is management information provided to the Welsh Government by apprenticeship providers, combined with records from the Lifelong Learning Wales Record (LLWR). It has not undergone the same level of quality assurance as official statistics.

The number of apprentices reported as still furloughed in this release is higher than in reality. Some apprentices ended their apprenticeship whilst on furlough and started a new apprenticeship. If a provider did not report them as returning from furlough, they may still be listed as on furlough. This is due to issues in identifying which of their apprenticeship they were furloughed for.

The furlough scheme ended on 30 September 2021. This report is the final position for apprentices in the week before the furlough scheme ended.

Main points

• 285 apprentices were fully furloughed on 24 September 2021.
• The number of apprentices still furloughed fell steeply; less than half as many apprentices were fully furloughed in September compared to August (350 fewer overall). 
• The number of apprentices furloughed is 96% smaller than at its peak.
• Less than 0.5% of apprenticeships have been terminated due to redundancy over the past year.
• Another 55 apprentices (less than 0.5%) had been made redundant but remain in learning whilst their provider tries to source an alternative employer.
• Fewer apprenticeships have ended, successfully or unsuccessfully, compared to previous years.
• Only 36% of apprentices have completed their apprenticeship or gone into employment, compared to an average of 44% by this point in past years.

The apprentices who were still furloughed as the scheme came to an end were more likely to be:

• young
• male
• white
• studying level 2 apprenticeships
• working for companies with less than 10 employees
• living in South West Wales

Information on the overall number of people furloughed in Wales can be found in the report 'Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme and Self-Employment Income Support Scheme statistics'.

Notes

The statistics for apprentices ending their apprenticeship cover a longer time period and look at a slightly different cohort of apprentices than the statistics in the Outcomes for learners in post-16 education affected by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic: August 2019 to July 2020 report. A learner who has completed an apprenticeship has taken the required learning, but may or may not have achieved all the required qualifications.