National Apprenticeship Week 2026

Today marks the first day of 𝗡𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗔𝗽𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗲𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗪𝗲𝗲𝗸 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲.

Almost one in eight young people aged 16-24 are not in education, employment or training (NEET), and last week Reed in Partnership published a paper, ‘A three-lane superhighway into work’, that addresses the NEET crisis and sets out practical ways to strengthen and connect the three typical routes into work:

1. Direct entry into the labour market
2. Apprenticeships
3. University

The paper explores the current imbalance between the three routes, which are not equally structured or accessible: for those not taking the more established and navigable university route, options can be disjointed and difficult to navigate. A key recommendation from our report is to strengthen the apprenticeship route by removing barriers to gold standard apprenticeships.

The long-term decline in youth access to apprenticeships in the workplace is now constraining workforce development. At the same time, employer demand for new skilled entrants continues to grow.

If apprenticeships are to operate as a genuinely equal lane alongside university, participation will need to increase significantly over time. A system in which around one in three young people undertake an apprenticeship would represent a step change in how work-based routes are valued, accessed and supported.

Our report makes a series of recommendations for a strengthened apprenticeship approach that focuses on scale as well as quality.

Read the full report here.