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Apprentices

Asked by Damian HindsConservativeDepartment for EducationTabled Answered 29 March 2025UIN 36060

The question

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what information her Department holds on the average (a) length of (b) time off the job in apprenticeships in (i) England (ii) Germany.

Answered by Janet Daby

The average expected duration of an apprenticeship in England is published in the apprenticeships statistics publication, which is available here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/e4c10266-a793-4c29-0de2-08dd5ccbf23a.

The ‘Apprenticeship evaluation 2023: learner, non-completer and employer surveys’ contains survey-based information on apprenticeship duration and off-the-job training hours undertaken, noting that proportions are given rather than averages: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/apprenticeship-evaluation-2023-learner-non-completer-and-employer-surveys.

The last published estimate of average off-the-job training hours in England covers the 2018/19 academic year. See Table 3 in the ‘Further education and skills: November 2019 statistics’ publication here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5ddd3bbd40f0b650d9ba9b15/FE_and_Skills_commentary_November_2019.pdf.

The publication of off-the-job training hours estimates was stopped from the 2019/20 academic year onwards after a review of their quality, particularly regarding the robustness of comparisons over time.

Equivalent information for Germany is not held by the department.

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