Apprenticeship learning programmes started: August 2023 to October 2023 (provisional)

These quarterly statistics, published on StatsWales with complementary dashboards present information on the number of apprenticeship learning programmes started. It includes data by region of domicile, programme type, age group, sector, gender, ethnicity, disability and academic year.

This update includes new figures for August to October 2023 (Q1 of the 2023/24 academic year). They are calculated using a freeze of the Lifelong Learning Wales Record (LLWR).

Main points from the latest data

There were 8,145 apprenticeship learning programmes started in 2023/24 Q1, compared with 7,265 starts in 2022/23 Q1. 

In 2023/24 Q1, there were increases in Foundation Apprenticeship (level 2), Level 3 Apprenticeship, and Higher Apprenticeship (level 4+) starts, compared with 2022/23 Q1. 

Foundation Apprenticeship programmes observed a 10.2% increase on the previous year. 2,660 learning programmes were started compared with 2,410 in 2022/23 Q1. 

Apprenticeship (level 3) starts saw a 13.4% increase with 4,245 programmes starting in 2023/24 Q1 compared with 3,745 in 2022/23 Q1.

Higher Apprenticeships (level 4+) saw an increase of 11.8% in starts compared with 2022/23 Q1, with 1,240 programmes starting compared with 1,110 the previous year.

In 2023/24 Q1, Healthcare and Public Services apprenticeships was the most popular broad sector, with a 6.4% increase in the number of starts in this sector compared with 2022/23 Q1. There were 2,390 programmes started in 2023/24 Q1 in this sector compared with 2,250 in the same quarter of the previous year. 29.4% of all apprenticeship learning programmes started were in Healthcare and Public Services, compared with 30.9% in 2022/23 Q1.  

In 2023/24 Q1, around 45.9% of all apprenticeship learning programmes started were by female learners, compared with 47.6% in Q1 in the previous year.

The Welsh Government has a target to create 125,000 all-age apprenticeships. This is assessed using a more rigorous measure, which takes account of early dropouts (within first 8 weeks) and transfers between apprenticeship records. In 2023/24 Q1, there were 7,645 of these apprenticeship starts. In total there have been 50,930 of this type of apprenticeship start since the start of the target in May 2021. This measure now also includes degree apprenticeships. Further information on this is provided in the 'current target' tab of the dashboard.