CIPD renews calls for an Apprenticeship Guarantee in the UK

Opportunities for young people to learn while they earn have decreased dramatically over the last 20 years. In 2024 just 20% of 16-17 year olds were combining earning and learning, down from 42% in 1997. Our research highlights the impact this decline is having on young people’s perceived readiness for the workplace. 

Changing face of the youth labour market

In our latest report, Changing face of the youth labour market, we revealed that just 28% of employers with recent experience of hiring someone aged 16-24 think young people are well-prepared for the world of work. In researching the report, we also found that: 

• 64% of employers think young people lack important social skills in the workplace, while 71% believe they don’t always know how to behave. 

• 56% think young workers are more difficult to manage than previous generations. 

• 34% don’t think young people are generally good communicators.   

We’ve been calling for government action on apprenticeships for several years, and the findings in this report add even more weight to our campaign.  

Apprenticeship Guarantee has widespread support

One of the main reasons behind this poor perception of young people is the drop in opportunities for them to combine earning and learning. This is why we’re renewing our calls for the UK Government to introduce an Apprenticeship Guarantee for all 16-24 year olds. And according to our previous research, it’s a concept that’s widely backed by employers. 

Through its Get Britain Working agenda, the Government has pledged the Youth Guarantee. While this is a positive step towards helping more young people get the training and support they need, we want to see the Government go even further.   

We believe that an Apprenticeship Guarantee for all young people would lead to more opportunities to combine earning and learning. As well as opening up more vocational routes into employment, this would also allow them to develop crucial workplace skills such as communication, teamwork, and problem-solving.  

Ultimately, we want to see young people supported to prepare for working life and gain valuable skills, while ensuring employers have access to a skilled talent pipeline.