National Minimum Wage

Chapter 3: Young People, Interns and Apprentices
Table 3.1: Number of Apprenticeship Starts, by Country, 2003/04-2010/11 a
Thousands UK England b Northern Ireland c Scotland d Wales
2003/04 193.6 3.5
2004/05 189.0 3.4 24.6
2005/06 175.0 3.3 28.1
2006/07 184.3 3.3 19.6
2007/08 266.6 224.8 5.5 14.7 21.6
2008/09 275.7 239.8 7.1 10.6 18.1
2009/10 321.9 278.2 7.1 20.2 16.4
2010/11 492.2 442.7 8.9 21.2 19.4
Source: UK administrations, 2003-2011.
Notes:
a. England and Wales figures are for the academic year; Northern Ireland and Scotland figures are for the financial year. No earlier
years are available for Scotland and Wales.
b. England data for 2010/11 are provisional, and may be subject to small revision. They exclude the small number of Level 4
apprenticeship starts from 2008/09.
c. In Northern Ireland, Apprenticeships NI replaced Modern Apprenticeships in September 2007; hence the figures from 2007/08 are
the sum of these two schemes.
d. Figures for Scotland are only available for Modern Apprenticeships, which will not include all those at Level 2.
3.56 The increase in UK starts was across all age groups, although older apprentices now make up
a larger proportion of the total. The biggest driver of the overall shift in the age composition
of starts was again the changes in England. Figure 3.9 shows how those aged 25 and over
accounted for the largest share of the increase in starts in England in 2010/11 (based on
provisional data for the 2010/11 academic year).
Figure 3.9: Total Apprenticeship Starts, by Age, England, 2008/09-2010/11
Apprenticeship starts in England (thousands)
500
450
400
350
300
250
200
150
100
50
0
2008/09
2009/10
Academic year
16-18 19-24 25+
Source: Individualised Learner Record for England, 2008-2011.
Note: Data for 2010/11 are provisional and may be subject to small revision.
2010/11
500
450
400
350
300
250
200
150
100
50
0
89