What are apprenticeships actually for?
- 13th May 2026
- Daniel Sandford Smith
That question sits at the heart of Gatsby’s new discussion paper, Evolution not Revolution: A Way Forward for Apprenticeships.
At a time when youth employment is under pressure, employers continue to report skills shortages, and apprenticeship policy is increasingly tied to wider economic growth and labour market participation, the paper argues that England needs much greater clarity about the purpose of apprenticeships.
Drawing together Gatsby’s recent research on apprenticeship assessment, delivery costs, withdrawals and participation trends, alongside labour market analysis, international comparisons and existing apprenticeship data, the paper explores how England’s apprenticeship system has evolved over the past two decades — and how it has gradually expanded to cover a very wide range of training and workforce development activity.
As Daniel Sandford Smith, author of the report, argues: “If apprenticeships are trying to be everything for everyone, we risk losing sight of their core purpose as routes into skilled employment.”
The paper highlights how apprenticeship starts among young people have fallen substantially, while a growing share of provision now supports existing, often older, employees. While much of that training may be valuable, the report questions whether all of it should sit within the apprenticeship system, particularly when international evidence suggests the strongest apprenticeship systems remain firmly focused on helping people enter skilled occupations.
Rather than calling for another major overhaul, the paper argues for a more focused and coherent system that distinguishes more clearly between apprenticeships for labour market entry, occupational retraining for adults, and other forms of workforce development. It also examines the implications for employers, particularly SMEs, and considers how policy could better support apprenticeships where they add the greatest public value.
The report ultimately makes the case for evolution rather than revolution: retaining the strengths of recent reforms while re-establishing a clearer sense of what apprenticeships are designed to achieve.
