The survey was taken by over 2000 UK employees to uncover attitudes toward apprentices in the workplace. The findings revealed that over half (53.6%) of engineering professionals have completed an apprenticeship, compared to just 21.8% nationwide, making the sector the most popular among apprentices.
Almost all (92.3%) engineering apprentices believe their training helped establish their career, and a further 73.1% still work in the industry, making engineering schemes the most valued across all sectors. 93.8% of those surveyed believed apprenticeships are the key to filling the sector’s skills gap.
However, just 1.9% of those that completed an apprenticeship said that government information made them aware of sector schemes, the rest found apprentice opportunities through individual research or family recommendations. This suggests that despite apprentices having the potential to fill the sector’s skills gap, engineers are left wholly in the dark about apprenticeships due to a lack of awareness initiatives from the government.
Lee Biggins, founder and managing director of CV-Library, said: “The data shows that not enough is being done by the government to raise awareness for apprenticeships and more support is needed for both engineering businesses and apprentices themselves.”
