Apprenticeship data 2025

The 2025 apprenticeship data highlights a sector in recovery following the COVID-19 pandemic, with total apprenticeship starts nearly back to pre-pandemic levels.

This release summarises the key themes, subject-level trends and apprenticeship uptake across STEM subjects and levels for the 2024 – 2025 cycle.

Key themes

  • STEM apprenticeship starts accounted for 29% of all apprenticeship starts in 2024 – 2025.
  • Female participation in STEM apprenticeships has grown significantly:
    • Female starts up 96% since 2018 – 2019.
    • Women now represent 20% of all STEM starts, though participation varies significantly by subject.
  • Digital Technology apprenticeships have seen exceptional growth, with starts increasing from 4,190 in 2018 – 2019 to 12,570 in 2024 – 25.
  • Engineering and Manufacturing Technologies apprenticeship starts have not recovered, with total starts still down 23% since 2018 – 2019.
  • Science and Mathematics apprenticeships remain small in number but have grown 338% since 2018 – 2019, with women making up 63% of starts.
  • Higher-level apprenticeships continue to rise, with Levels 4 – 7 seeing strong growth, particularly among women.
  • Lower-level apprenticeships (Level 2) continue their long-term decline and remain dominated by male participation.

Construction, planning and the built environment

  • Female representation remains low at 11%, although this has been increasing steadily since 2018.
  • There’s been an 81% increase in female apprenticeship starts since 2018 – 2019 (1,450 to 2,630).
  • There still remains a huge gender gap (2,630 female vs 21,970 male).

Digital technology

  • Digital technology is one of the fastest-growing apprenticeship areas, with over 31,000 starts in 2024 – 2025. This echoes the trends we’ve seen across both workforce and education data.
  • In 2024 – 25, we saw 12,570 female starts compared to 4,190 in 2018 – 2019 – this is a 200% increase in six years. Male starts have only seen a 13% increase across this same period.
  • Female starts now represent 40% of all these apprenticeships. This percentage has doubled (it was 20% in 2018 – 2019).

Engineering and manufacturing technologies

  • Since 2018 – 2019, we have seen a 23% decrease in the number of engineering and manufacturing technologies apprenticeships being started. This is made up on a very small 3% increase in female starts, but a huge 25% decrease in male starts.
  • Despite the drop, these subjects still have the highest number of apprenticeship starts with 46,070 (next highest is now digital technology with 31,620).
  • Female starts only represent 11% of all starts (4,900 female vs 41,170 male).

Science and mathematics

  • There are significantly lower numbers taking up science and mathematics apprenticeships, despite a 338% increase of total starts since 2018 – 2019 (130 to 570).
  • Female starts outweigh male starts in 2024 – 2025 (63% vs 37%) and this gap is the widest it’s been.

Level comparison across STEM apprenticeships

Level 2

  • Level 2 STEM apprenticeships continues to fall, with just over half as many of these apprenticeships started in 2024 – 2025, compared to 2018 – 2019.
  • Only 7% are female starts (1,540 compared to 20,280 male) – this figure has remained very static since 2018 – 2019.

Level 3

  • Level 3 apprenticeships have the highest uptake with over 50,000 starts in 2024 – 2025, bringing the numbers back up to pre-COVID levels.
  • The gender split has shown good improvement – 17% are female (8,590 compared to 41,630 male), up from 10% in 2018 – 2019.

Level 4

  • Level 4 STEM apprenticeships continue to rise in popularity with 17,730 being started in 2024 – 2025.
  • A 330% increase in female starts since 2018 – 2019.
  • Level 4 has the highest proportion of female starts at 36% (6,370 female compared to 11,360 male).

Level 5

  • Level 5 STEM apprenticeships are the least common with only 1090 starting in 2024 – 2025.
  • These have good representation, at 34% female (370 compared to 720).

Level 6

  • Level 6 apprenticeships (degree level) have 8,910 starts in 2024 – 2025, with 29% of these being female (2,570 compared to 6,340 male).
  • This is a good increase, up from 21% in 2018 – 2019.

Level 7

  • Level 7 apprenticeships (Master’s degree level) have seen a huge increase in popularity since 2018-19, with 3,080 being taken in 2024 – 2025.
  • Female uptake was 80 in 2018-19, up to 1,010 in 2024 – 2025 (a 1163% increase).
  • These apprenticeship starts are also now 33% female, up from 20% in 2018 – 2019.

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