Boris Johnson has described them as key to unlocking opportunities for the young and last year promised that every young person who wanted to should be able to get one.
But as Onward, the Tories' favourite think-tank, warned today, a shortage of apprenticeships for young people is hindering the Prime Minister's levelling up agenda, particularly on Merseyside.
New figures showing how apprenticeship numbers have fallen nationwide reveal that one of the top ten worst-hit Parliamentary constituencies are in the region. In the Parliamentary constituency of Wallasey there were 740 apprenticeships in 2018/19 compared to 1,710 in 2011/12, a drop of 57%, according to Onward's analysis of government data.
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Other Merseyside patches to figure in the top ten were Garston and Halewood, Liverpool Wavertree, Liverpool Walton, Knowsley, Birkenhead and Bootle, reports The Northern Agenda political newsletter.
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And MPs from the affected patches said the findings showed the Government was failing young people in working class areas and that the PM's 'levelling up' mantra was "nothing more than empty words and hot air".
Onward's research says a sharp drop-off in small firms offering apprenticeships and a shift away from entry-level to higher apprenticeships means fewer school leavers become apprentices and more established professionals in big firms taking them to top-up their existing skills.
This means as large businesses have increased the number of apprentices they are hiring, fewer and fewer of these are from deprived backgrounds.
And the trend is far more pronounced in the Northern 'red wall' seats the Conservatives hope to win back at the next General Election. The number of people in the Red Wall starting apprenticeships has dropped by a third and fallen in all but two Northern constituencies, between 2011 and 2018.
On Merseyside, Garston and Halewood saw a fall of 56%, Liverpool Wavertree 55%, Liverpool Walton 53%, Knowsley 53%, Birkenhead 50% and Bootle 49%.
According to Onward, the increased difficulty that working class young people face in trying to access apprenticeships is in large part caused by the Government’s reforms over the last decade, including its flagship Apprenticeship Levy.
Its report, Course Correction, says that apprenticeships for 16 to 18-year-olds must be fully funded to bring them into line with funding for A-levels.
It says that regional mayors should have more responsibility for delivering apprenticeships and should have more power in this area, especially when working with smaller local businesses.
And the report says that big businesses must be encouraged to recruit school leavers, while large businesses that recruit school leaders beyond their apprenticeship levy fund should not be subsidised.
Will Tanner, Director of Onward, said: “Apprenticeships are not delivering and without far-reaching reform will work against ministers’ ambitions to level up the country."
Labour MP Maria Eagle said: “A lot has been said about 'Levelling Up' but this report shows that for places like Garston And Halewood the slogan is nothing more than empty words and hot air.
“Apprenticeships should be a gold standard training opportunity, but they have been neglected by successive Tory governments which continue to entrench inequality and deny opportunity to young people in Garston and Halewood.
“Businesses are being priced out of creating apprenticeship opportunities by the government’s failing apprenticeships levy. The Government should use the £377 million of expired funds from the Apprenticeship Levy to help employers cover the wages of 100,000 new apprentices age 16 – 24 this financial year."
Liverpool Wavertree MP Paula Barker said: "Onward's research once again highlights the extent to which the Government is failing young people in working class areas like Liverpool Wavertree.
"The country is crying out for the next generation of workers to be encouraged to commit to the training needed to take up skilled and well paid careers in key industries. Instead young people are too often faced with a choice between spiralling student debt or low paid, precarious work on zero hours contracts.
"We need the Government to fully fund thousands more apprenticeships, particularly targeted at areas of deprivation, with more power given to our City Region Mayors to work in partnership with businesses to deliver the apprenticeships our areas need."
Bootle MP Peter Dowd said: “The Government have talked a good game on apprenticeships for ten years now, but according to new Onward research access to apprenticeships has plummeted and, in my constituency, alone it shows one of the most decreases of almost 50% in apprenticeship take-ups.
"I strongly believe that apprenticeships are a great way to bring fresh perspectives into a business and upskill the next generation. I’ve been keen to take on an apprentice for some time, and especially in the current challenging time for younger people. So, I decided last year to take on an apprentice. I’m glad we have been successful in employing a local constituent to join the team and earn while they learn."
The Department for Education defended its approach. A spokeswoman said: "To compare statistics from 2015, before our reform of apprenticeships, with statistics today is fundamentally misleading. Before our reforms in 2017 too many apprenticeships were poor quality and did not give people the skills that employers needed."
She added: “The vast majority of apprenticeships are now undertaken by young people, and it is great we are seeing the number of people starting apprenticeships across England so far this year bouncing back to pre-pandemic levels.
"We want to see these numbers grow even further so more people gain the skills they need to build a great career. We are supporting more starts in smaller businesses through the new levy transfer scheme and flexi-job apprenticeships."
