Build The Future Apprenticeship Survey

The Open University, in association with The 5% Club, commissioned a survey of over 600 employers in England about their plans for apprenticeships in the coming months. The polling was conducted in January 2021 amongst small and large businesses from across the private, public and third sector.

The aim of the Build the Future Apprenticeship Survey is to understand changing attitudes and approaches to apprenticeships and skills development in England since the first lockdown, and the publication of The Open University’s Business Barometer in September of last year. The survey findings were discussed in a webinar during National Apprenticeship Week.

Watch webinar

Findings include:

70% of employers hold the belief that apprenticeships and work-based learning will be vital to their organisations’ recovery from COVID disruption, compared to just 50% of employers who were surveyed as part of the Business Barometer in August 2020

72% of employers now plan to hire more apprentices over the next year, up from under 61% polled last summer

Commenting on the polling, the OU’s Apprenticeships Ambassador Laura Burley said:

It’s encouraging to see that English employers are feeling more optimistic about apprenticeships now than at previous stages of the pandemic, and the arrival of the vaccine has certainly brought a sense of hope to what has been a hugely disrupted year. But with further pressures and challenges on the horizon, the need to invest in workforces and remain adaptable will continue to be an essential for organisations’ survival for years to come.”

Laura Burley
The OU's Apprenticeships Ambassador

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