Number of people starting apprenticeships drops by a third

The number of people starting an apprenticeship fell by 34% in first three terms of 2017-18, prompting calls for an “urgent reassessment” of the system.

The number of apprenticeship starters fell to 290,500 since the start of the academic year, compared with 440,300 during the same nine-month period in the previous year and 384,500 in the equivalent period in 2015-16, according to Department of Education data.