Written question asked by Baroness Sharp of Guildford (Liberal Democrat) on Thursday, 3 December 2015, in the House of Lords. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 17 December 2015. It was answered by Baroness Neville-Rolfe (Conservative) on Tuesday, 22 December 2015 on behalf of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.

Apprentices

Question: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many (1) 16 year olds, (2) 17 year olds, and (3) 18 year olds, started an apprenticeship in (a) England, and (b) each region in England in the latest period for which figures are available.

Answer

Table 1 shows Apprenticeship starts in 2014/15 by learners aged 16-18 by region and age.

Table 1: 16-18 Apprenticeship starts by age and region, 2014/15

Region	Age	16	17	18
North East		1,850	2,910	3,820
North West		4,710	6,660	8,620
Yorkshire and the Humber		3,670	5,500	7,200
East Midlands		2,970	4,410	5,450
West Midlands		2,960	4,960	6,490
East of England		2,970	4,070	5,580
London		1,820	3,350	4,810
South East		3,560	5,360	7,270
South West		3,110	4,310	5,740
England Total		27,600	41,500	55,000

Other		400	530	620

Grand Total		28,000	42,100	55,600
Notes:
1) Volumes are rounded to the nearest 10 except totals which are rounded to the nearest hundred.
2) Age is calculated based on age at start of the programme.
3) Age is based upon self-declaration by the learner.
4) Region is based upon the home postcode of the learner. Where the postcode is outside of England, learners are included in the 'Other' category. Where postcode is not known this is also included in the 'Other' category.
5) These figures are based on the geographic boundaries of regions as of May 2010.

Secondary information