With National Apprenticeship Week concluding last week, a study of over 8,600 apprenticeship positions by job search engine Adzuna revealed the types of apprenticeships currently up for grabs.
The study, which uses Adzuna’s live job market data to reveal how many UK opportunities are on offer to those looking for an apprenticeship, shows there are currently 1,351 advertised hospitality and catering apprenticeship vacancies available in the UK.
These figures may seem low considering the Government target of creating a total of 3 million apprenticeships by 2020*, but it is likely that apprenticeship vacancies will rise significantly in early summer, when exam season concludes and potential apprentices set their sights on the jobs market.
A Feast Of Hospitality Apprenticeships On Offer
Across the sectors, hospitality and catering businesses have the highest amount of apprentice roles on offer, surpassing the IT (1,145) and Teaching (738) industries. Large chains such as the Hilton Hotel and Harvester have led the way in giving young people opportunities offering 78 and 46 roles respectively.
Mitchells and Butlers who own the Harvester brand as well as All Bar One and Toby Carvery currently have a whopping 148 apprenticeship roles available. However, an abundance of positions does not necessarily mean that these are the most well-paid.
Catering Apprenticeships Don’t Offer The Most Dough
On average, apprentice roles in the industry offer a mere £8,579 – of the 29 industries our study looked at, this placed catering bosses in the bottom 5 for average advertised salaries. In stark contrast, ads for engineering apprentices offer more than double this amount, coming in at £17,833 on average.
However, there are still plenty of opportunities in the hospitality sector for young people looking to bring in a bigger pay packet. A hospitality management apprentice with Miller and Carter could earn around £18,890 and a culinary apprentice at the Marriott Hotel could earn around £19,700. It is also worth noting that industries that offered more tended to have much fewer vacancies with just 357 engineering apprenticeships available nationwide.
Right Location Could Stir Your Chances
For those on the hunt for an apprenticeship, location will determine how many opportunities are available, with many of the vacancies currently available clustered in London and the South East. Those that dream of becoming head chef have 142 training-schemes to choose from in the Greater London region, and a huge 331 in the South East. Yet there are far fewer apprenticeship vacancies available in other areas of the UK, including just 27 on offer in Wales and only 35 in the North East.
These figures suggest that business owners need to do more to ensure their roles are well distributed throughout the UK not only to avoid potentially hindering some apprenticeship applicants but to ensure they also get the best quality candidates.
Doug Monro, co-founder of Adzuna, comments: “With university tuition fees at an all-time high, more young people are looking at alternative ways to up-skill after school, without the hefty price tag. Apprenticeships offer a cost-effective way of training on the job as well as developing new talent in skills shortage areas. This makes them a win-win solution for both employers and jobseekers.”
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