Government welcomes figures showing that the number of young people taking part in apprenticeships and traineeships continues to rise. In addition to the positive news on apprenticeships, the figures show the continued success of traineeships as the programme moves in to its second year

The government has welcomed figures showing that the number of young people taking part in apprenticeships and traineeships continues to rise.

The provisional figures for the first three months of this academic year show that there were more than 573,000 people participating in apprenticeships – including more than 353,000 16 to 24 year-olds.

The provisional figures also show that, despite being a relatively new development, the number of people participating in higher apprenticeships now stands at over 15,000. Higher apprenticeships allow learners to develop high level technical skills that employers want and need up to post-graduate level.

These latest figures reveal that there have been more than 2.1 million apprenticeship starts since May 2010. The government celebrated fulfilling its commitment to creating 2 million apprenticeships within this Parliament at the end of last year. This important achievement highlights the continued success of apprenticeships in giving people the skills they need to get on, and in supporting businesses of all sizes to develop skilled employees.

In addition to the positive news on apprenticeships, the figures show the continued success of traineeships as the programme moves in to its second year. There were 5,000 traineeship starts in the first quarter of the 2014 to 2015 academic year. This builds on the first year of the programme which saw more than 10,000 young people taking the opportunity to gain the skills and work experience that will put them on track for a rewarding career.

Skills Minister Nick Boles said: “At 147,500, the number of people starting an apprenticeship between August and October 2014 is up on the same period in 2013.

“We have delivered over 2,140,000 apprenticeships since 2010 and will continue to make sure our young people have every chance to benefit from the life-changing opportunity of an apprenticeship.”