Apprenticeships in media ‘up 81%’ says NAS
Apprenticeships in arts, media and publishing are growing in popularity among both employers and young people according to figures released today (5 February) by the National Apprenticeship Service.
The body, which funds and co-ordinates apprenticeships and traineeships in England, has announced an 81 per cent increase in media vacancies.
Opportunities posted on the NAS website in arts, media and publishing – which includes creative and digital media – increased from 270 in 2012 to 490 in 2013. The data, collected between August and October, also showed that girls are increasingly embracing opportunities on offer, narrowing the gap between the amount of applications they made with boys.
Girls made 216,100 applications in 2013, a 55 per cent leap on the same three months in 2012.
Matthew Hancock, skills and enterprise minister, said apprenticeships offered a chance to "earn and learn".
He commented that the figures showed a growth in appeal to young people "and yet more young women are seeking out this unique opportunity to gain a recognised qualification while notching up vital work experience."
Hancock also said demand for places was outstripping supply: "Each online position is attracting an average of 12 applications and I would urge more employers to consider how they can take advantage of this available pool of talent and grow their business through apprenticeships."
Across all sectors, apprenticeship vacancies grew by 24 per cent (to 37,410) in the three month period, while applications increased 43 per cent to 461,530.