Apprentices shy away from accountancy careers
Accountancy has loosened its grip on the apprenticeship sector, with young learners moving into other education sectors
This article was first published on sister title Apprentice Eye
ACCOUNTANCY no longer dominates the proportion of higher apprenticeships, with young learners moving towards other sectors such as health and business since 2015.
Apprenticeships Evaluation 2015, a report from the department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) shows that there has been growth in the number of higher apprentices (those on a Level 4 or above apprenticeship). They accounted for 4% of total current apprentices and 2% cent of total completed apprentices, up from two per cent and 0.7% in 2014.
More diversification of qualifications
This increase has been accompanied by a diversification of frameworks such that accountancy no longer dominates the higher apprenticeship landscape (a fall from 60% of all Level 4 apprentices in 2014 to 28% in 2015).
In particular there has been an increase in the proportion of higher apprentices on other business frameworks, as well as in health.
As to the motivation behind higher apprentices and what drives them towards the goal of a professional qualification, compared to Level 2 and Level 3 apprentices, higher apprentices were less likely to have been specifically recruited to an apprenticeship (32%) and more likely to have been existing employees (67%), an approach that was most common in the health framework (88%).
“Linked to this, less than three-fifths of higher apprentices were aware their course was an apprenticeship (57%),” the report says. “The main motivations for undertaking an apprenticeship were similar to those expressed by Level 2 and 3 apprentices.”
In March, the ACCA and a number of other institutes joined forces with all of the Big Four to develop a new apprenticeship standard for the audit, accountancy and tax professions.
