– From Bristol to Blackpool, the postcode lottery for apprenticeship opportunities –
The leading apprenticeship resource, Best Apprenticeships has released a report looking into the best & worst locations across the UK for apprenticeship opportunities, ranking them by salary and the number of opportunities available to young people.
The best and worst places to live for apprenticeships:
The cities (outside of London) coming in top for ‘best paid’ apprenticeships are:
- Birmingham
- Bristol
- Newcastle upon Tyne
- Manchester
- Nottingham
- Sheffield
Cities are ranked according to the number of roles available that are paying above the minimum wage (£6.40/hr).
The report also highlights the areas with the most opportunities offered above the real Living Wage (£12/hr) with Manchester, Bristol, Oxford and Birmingham coming top, indicating that outside of London these are the best places for well-paid apprenticeship opportunities in the UK. Newcastle & Nottingham also appeared in the top 10.
The worst paid opportunities, minimum wage or below, are Halifax, Blackpool, Sutton (London) and Hereford, and the areas offering the least opportunities per capita are Blackpool, Canterbury, Sutton (London) and Carlisle. With Blackpool and Sutton offering the lowest pay and least opportunities.
Industry insights:
The top three industries offering the most opportunities per capita are engineering and manufacturing, business and administration and education and early years, with the best paid, above minimum wage, opportunities following a similar pattern. However, when looked at by the number of opportunities offering salaries above real Living Wage, business and administration, legal finance and accounting, and construction and the built environment, offered the most well-paid opportunities.
How salaries stack up:
The report also revealed that there is still a way to go in terms of pay with only 3.6 % of apprenticeship in England offering opportunities above the real Living Wage, as calculated by the Living Wage Foundation, but more encouraging is that over 60% of opportunities have starting salaries over the current minimum wage for apprenticeships.
The report aggregated and analysed public data from the Gov.uk Find an Apprenticeship Service. over summer 2024, looking at nearly 30,000 roles across England.
Best Apprenticeships is a resource dedicated to simplifying early career choices by offering curated apprenticeship opportunities across the UK, guiding candidates through the application process. Best Apprenticeships was set up in 2017, to help individuals in the first stages of their career to achieve qualifications through the four levels of apprenticeship schemes, ranging from hands-on intermediate and advanced, offering a foot-in-the-door to any industry, to degree apprenticeships where candidates can earn whilst they learn and avoid university debt.
To read the report in full go to www.bestapprenticeships.com/market-report
Media enquiries:
Emily Fouracre
PR Manager
Contact: [email protected]
Phone: 07867 780623
