Apprenticeships have become a core part of how the UK government plans to ‘build back better’ after the pandemic.

While employment is booming, new research suggests that the pandemic has seriously impacted the quality of jobs available to young people.

Competition for graduate jobs has reached a record high this year following a coronavirus slump in 2020.

Chancellor Rishi Sunak has pledged to address the UK's economic vulnerabilities through a mixed programme of heavy investment and increased taxation.

Almost two thirds (63%) of business leaders have said they are struggling to recruit as candidates lack the specialist skills and relevant experience they need.

More young people are going to university as they feel the post-pandemic job market will demand a degree rather than an apprenticeship.

Managers and the public back the apprenticeship levy but there are concerns around the number of apprentice starts

Half (53%) of employers paying the apprenticeship levy would like to see it replaced with a training levy

As businesses of all stripes seek to widen their diversity of talent, apprenticeships are proving a useful and practical means of bringing those with disabilities into the workforce, writes Dan Cave