As Chair of Skills England, I’m delighted to introduce the Apprenticeship Guide 2025–26 – Paul Smith.
If you’re reading this, you’re already exploring one of the most exciting pathways in education and employment. Apprenticeships give employers and learners a genuine opportunity to fill skills gaps, drive productivity, and succeed.
For businesses, the benefits are clear: skilled staff boost performance. Apprenticeships, in my experience, also build loyalty as training is tailored to your business and culture, ensuring new recruits contribute from day one.
An apprenticeship is a real job with structured training, delivered both in the workplace and by a college, independent provider, or university. It’s a high-quality alternative to academic study allowing people of all ages to earn, learn, and progress in their chosen careers.
The sector continues to evolve. This year, the government is rebalancing apprenticeships back towards young people starting their careers, introducing foundation apprenticeships in priority sectors such as construction, engineering, manufacturing, health and social care, and digital. These help those who might otherwise struggle to secure a place, providing job-specific training alongside employability skills to support the transition from education to work.
Following employer and learner feedback, the minimum duration has also been reduced from 12 to 8 months. This is really valuable in industries like our amazing creative sector, where contracts may be shorter.
These changes will strengthen apprenticeships as a driver of growth and opportunity.
This guide offers clear, practical advice for employers, teachers, parents, carers, and learners. Inside, you’ll find every apprenticeship available in England, plus details on progression routes, salaries, and the many advantages of earning while learning.
I wish you every success on your apprenticeship journey.
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