Apprenticeships Work press release

A new campaign, Apprenticeships Work, led by Edge Foundation, launches today in a bid to boost the number of apprenticeship opportunities for young people in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). This will be crucial for achieving the Government’s goal of 10,000 more apprenticeship opportunities a year, especially in SME-dominated growth sectors like construction and services. Backed by leading partners including the Federation of Small Businesses, the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC), Amazing Apprenticeships, Specsavers, the Co-Op Group, and City & Guilds, the campaign highlights the huge potential of apprenticeships as opportunities for young people, employers and the wider economy.

Reports underpinning the campaign show both the demand from young people and the untapped potential among SMEs:

• · Over 40% of UCAS applicants in 2023 expressed an interest in apprenticeships – yet for every young person who secures an apprenticeship, three apply unsuccessfully. We need to grow these opportunities.
• SMEs make up 99% of UK businesses. While many want to take on apprentices, they are held back by a fragmented system and lack of tailored advice. Polling for Edge Foundation found that nearly 70% of SMEs said tailored brokerage support would encourage them to recruit a young apprentice.

The Apprenticeships Work campaign calls for a simpler, fairer system that works for both SMEs and young people – connecting ambition with opportunity, and ensuring apprenticeships deliver skills for growth across the UK

Quotes

Alice Gardner, CEO of Edge Foundation, said:

“Expanding opportunities for young people through high-quality routes like apprenticeships has been at the heart of Edge’s mission for over twenty years. Young people are eager for these opportunities, and small businesses want to invest in fresh talent – but the system too often gets in the way. Apprenticeships Work is about changing that: creating the conditions where everyone benefits – more opportunities for young people, stronger growth for small businesses, and a real boost for our economy.”

Katy Dorman and Jodi Fair, Co-Chairs of the National Apprenticeship Hub Network, said:

“Across the National Apprenticeship Hub Network, we see every day how the right support can unlock opportunities, especially in SMEs who are the backbone of our communities. We are proud to support the Apprenticeship Work campaign to ensure that every SME, regardless of where they’re based, can access tailored advice to help them take on apprentices and grow the skilled workforce they need. The growth we’ve achieved locally through NAHN shows what’s possible - now it’s time to make that a national reality.”

Notes to Editors

• Apprenticeships Work is a new national campaign to increase the number of apprenticeship opportunities for young people in small businesses.
• The campaign is informed by two research reports:
  • Agents of Change (Edge Foundation, 2025) – highlighting the decline in SME engagement with apprenticeships and the potential of brokerage services.
  • Chaos to Coordination (Edge Foundation, 2025) – showing growing demand among young people but systemic failures in the application process.
• Partners backing the campaign include Amazing Apprenticeships, Co-op, Specsavers the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) and City & Guilds.
• For media enquiries, please contact: Susan Higgins shiggins@edge.co.uk