Enabling Better Outcomes: A Wider view of Apprenticeship Success

The St Martin’s Group is pleased to publish its new report ‘Enabling Better Outcomes: A Wider View of Apprenticeship Success’, which investigates what apprenticeship success looks like to employers.

This report, which builds on our previous report which shared the apprentice perspective on apprenticeship outcomes and destinations, finds that 99 per cent of employers recognise the benefits of offering apprenticeships, but face barriers in supporting apprentices to complete them.

Conducting this research, produced in partnership with Learning and Work Institute (L&W), more than 800 apprenticeship employers were surveyed to better understand what leads to successful completions and any challenges they face.

With a lack of employer support previously cited as the main reason for apprenticeship withdrawals, these findings will help address this issue by revealing the most effective incentives for gaining employer support. The findings will also be useful in informing how the sector can meet the Government’s 67 per cent achievement target by 2025.

The report’s findings also revealed that the biggest barrier to providing support is being able to provide time off to study, complete assignments, or complete off-the-job training.

The detailed recommendations in the report call for more pastoral support for apprentices from their employers, as well as specific support to train line managers, and more accessible guidance from the Department for Education that sets out the responsibilities of employers and line managers to apprentices more clearly.

To support the publication of this report, The St Martin’s Group held an event to discuss the findings and bring together sector leaders to consider the recommendations, including the need for greater support for employers to enable off-the-job training for their apprentices.