Government launch new initiative to boost diversity in apprenticeships

The Department for Education (DfE) has announced plans to work with five of the UK's largest cities to improve the take-up of apprenticeships among those from disadvantaged and Black, Asian and Ethnic Minority (BAME) backgrounds.

Under the "5 Cities Project", the National Apprenticeship Service will work with the UK’s top employers (including Rolls Royce, Local Enterprise Partnerships and local authorities), in regions such as London, Bristol and Birmingham, to improve the diversity of apprenticeships across the UK.

Each city has set its own target for boosting diversity, with Greater Manchester aiming to deliver a 16% BAME apprenticeship representation in the coming years, and Leicester, choosing to focus on increasing the accessibility of apprenticeships to those from disadvantaged backgrounds.

The latest proposals follow efforts made by several employers last year to create an Apprenticeship Diversity Champions Network to actively encourage diversity in apprenticeships.

In response to the latest proposals, Apprenticeships and Skills Minister Anne Milton said that the government wanted to make it as "easy as possible to get on an apprenticeship" to ensure all people, irrespective of their background, were able to benefit from the "excellent career prospects that apprenticeships offer".

Source: Department for Education: Press release: New project to boost diversity in apprenticeships (1 February 2018).