Latest survey reveals that growing apprenticeship awareness and positivity is hindered by a confidence gap

Hertfordshire Careers Hub has once again partnered with Amazing Apprenticeships to deliver its Apprenticeship Survey for 2023, which reveals new insights into the perceptions held by local teachers and parent/carers of apprenticeships versus traditional career pathways.

With the parent/carer survey now in its fifth year, the findings help track trends over time to inform countywide apprenticeship and skills strategies.

This year, 3,225 parents/carers responded to the survey from over 50 schools, with 70% of respondents saying they would recommend an apprenticeship to their child, up 6% from 2022. However, only 1 in 10 were confident in supporting their child to search and apply for an apprenticeship, compared to 4 in 10 for UCAS applications.

While parents/carers recognise the benefits of apprenticeships – namely enabling their children to gain relevant skills, workplace experience, and the chance to earn a salary while learning – the perception that employers value apprentices less than graduates continues to endure.

The teacher/careers adviser survey, in its second year, generated over 600 responses – a 30% increase from 2022 – revealing that 90% have regular conversations with students about careers, positively reflecting the growing prominence of careers education in schools.

However, the survey highlighted significant gaps in teachers’ knowledge of post-16 options, with 82% saying they felt confident discussing university compared to just 27% for apprenticeships and 7% for T Levels. Teachers also reported knowledge gaps around local employers linked to their subject areas and where to find labour market information.

Find out more information and read the survey reports in full here.