New government statistics for the first three quarters of the 2024/2025 academic year reveal that apprenticeships continue to be the career route of choice for many learners. 

The DfE's headline facts and figures make for positive reading, with apprentice starts, participation and achievements all up on the same period of 2023/2024.  

Published on July 17, 2025, the update is based on provisional data returned by training providers in June 2025 and covers apprenticeships in England from August 2024 to April 2025.  

It shows apprenticeship starts were up 2% to 284,190 from 278,590, while learner participation increased by 2.2% to 703,110 from 687,770 in the same period last year. Apprenticeship achievements saw the biggest jump, growing by 8% to 128,290 compared to 118,770 during the corresponding three quarters of 2023/2024.  

Young people under 19 accounted for 67,130 - 23.6% or nearly a quarter - of the starts.  

These updated statistics also reveal greater take up of apprenticeship programmes among previously less well represented learner groups. The number of apprentices with a learning difficulty/disability rose by 4.7%, to 45,470 from 43,420 the previous year. That's 16.6% of the cohort, compared to 16.2% in 2023/2024. Learners from ethnic minorities (excluding white minorities) backgrounds also grew. Their numbers were up by 10.8% to 48,700 from 43,940 in the same period last year, making up 17.4% of the cohort against 16% last year. 

Higher apprenticeships and degree apprenticeships  

Higher apprenticeships - levels 4 and 5 - remain particularly popular, the numbers would suggest. They continued to grow in 2024/25 with starts at these levels increasing by 11% to 111,520 compared to 100,490 in the same period last year. 

Starts at Level 6 and 7, degree apprenticeships, were also up on the same time last year, increasing by 13% to 49,780. There were with 23,980 at level 6 and 25,800 at level 7, which accounts for 17.5% of all starts for 2024/25 against 15.8% the previous year. 

Business, Administration and Law saw the highest number of starts at 80,740. Construction, Planning and the Built Environment - all sectors targeted by the government as part of its skills growth strategy - saw a slight increase in starts at 22,990, as did Engineering and Manufacturing Technologies with 40,550 starts. 

Starts supported by Apprenticeship Service Account (ASA) levy funds stand at 191,500 and account for 67.4% of all starts so far in 2024/25. 

Ongoing apprenticeship support from Onefile 

It's encouraging to see this uptick in apprenticeship starts, achievement and participation rates, reflecting just how popular earning while learning is for so many young people. 

As the leading learning management platform, we want employers, training providers and apprentices to get the most from their apprenticeship programmes and have the tools, knowledge and expertise to help and guide at every stage. Click here for more details.