The Co-op is doubling down on apprenticeships – and it’s paying off

Try as the government might to encourage young people (and employers), to see the value of apprenticeships, it’s the continued (and predictably unpredictable), oscillations in apprenticeship starts that really do tell the real story.

Between 2015/16 to 2021/22 the total number of apprenticeship starts fell by a whopping 69%. According to the government’s own analysis, a major contributor to this were changes to the funding model that was introduced in May 2017. And while the most recent annual data shows a slight (4%) uptick of learners, this actually followed a 3.5% decrease in starts during 2023.

In fact it’s deeper analysis by the TUC that really reveals the scale of the problem. Between 2017/18 and 2023/24, it found start rates for under 19s actually ‘fell’ by 26% (and by 15% for those aged 19-24). Meanwhile, course completion rates fell by 44% and 31% respectively for the same age groups, between the same time period. Some argue it already seems like Labour’s ambition to have two-thirds of young people do ‘either’ an apprenticeship or a degree is hanging in the balance. Not least because government funding for Level 7 apprenticeships (equivalent to a Masters degree), was actually from the start of this year. This alone could significantly impact apprenticeship starts moving forward, not least because 33.5% of all apprenticeship starters in 2023 were these higher (degree-level) ones.

Bucking the trend

Emma Barrett

Apprenticeship Advisor, The Co-op

One organisation that has long tried to fly the flag for apprenticeships however, has been the UK’s popular mutual, The Co-op. In 2023 Central Co-op, the co-operative for the central England region, announced the launch of its ‘Debt-Free Degrees’ programme – including offering Chartered Manager degree apprenticeships at Level 6, as well as other Level 6 apprenticeships in areas such as marketing, IT, digital, and commercial. It has also run a highly successful Funeral Apprenticeship Programme (Level 2), and runs a parallel ‘Adopt a School’ programme, where local Co-op stores link up with nearby schools and colleges to offer employability initiatives to young people. But as we approach Apprenticeship Week in February, it’s the Co-ops commitment to these qualifications (helped through a longstanding partnership with Arden University), that its Apprenticeship Advisor, Emma Barrett says will ensure that it will continue to see apprenticeships as an essential talent pipeline.

“The Co-op has long championed apprenticeships,” says Barrett, who is currently working with Arden University to deliver its Level 6 Chartered Manager Degree Apprenticeship (CMDA) and Level 6 Project Manager Apprenticeships to colleagues. “But in the last few years, I would say we’ve really stepped things up a bit – by creating a specific programme development team with the aim that apprenticeships should be our first stop shop for our people’s training needs.”

She says: “Learning and development level drives purpose and knowledge. It’s contagious. When colleagues see others engage and succeed, they want to follow suit. What we’ve really been trying to do is press managers to really sing apprenticeships’ praises, to encourage people to apply for them.”