2012 was a landmark year for apprenticeships. The National Apprenticeships Service (NAS) announced plans to expand apprenticeships to a master's degree equivalent, introduced a grant to help small- and medium-sized employers take on their first apprentice, took steps to enforce the quality and minimum duration of apprenticeships and launched the search for the apprentice team of the year.
But the real sign that apprenticeships are gaining momentum and popularity is the sheer volume of applications and vacancies. New data shows there were almost 1,127,000 apprenticeship applications submitted and 106,510 vacancies advertised online in 2012.
The research also reveals that the most popular apprenticeship was in business and administration.
July was one of the most popular months to apply for an apprenticeship, generating 124,770 applications. Meanwhile, Thursday 16 August (A-level results day) was the most popular day to apply, with nearly 5,730 applications submitted.
Although there was a pretty even split between genders, slightly more applications came from males than females – 56% and 43% respectively. That said, more women are taking up apprenticeships; the number of young women applying for apprenticeships has grown by about 40% year-on-year, from 31,262 in November 2011 to 44,851 in November 2012.
The industry sectors that generated the most vacancies were business, administration and law (42,600), retail and commercial enterprise (19,780), and engineering and manufacturing technologies (15,000).
The research showed that overall there were more than 10 applications submitted online for every vacancy. It is perhaps surprising that there was such disparity in the ratio of applications to jobs; hospitality apprenticeships received 4.6 applications per vacancy. But we know that the less popular sectors want to do more to celebrate careers in these industries, for example, Caterer & Hotelkeeper's Think Again campaign.
Such competition means it's vital candidates make their applications stand out. If you're applying via NAS's vacancies service, here are three tips to make your application fit for the job:
• Find out more about the employer, the training provider and the job description before applying.
• Identify yourself, your skills and interests clearly – be professional, but try to allow your personality to come out.
• Tailor your application to each vacancy – don't just send the same CV and covering letter to each employer.
Jaine Bolton is director of the NAS
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