Apprenticeship take up limited by poor understanding among legal sector employers, according to SFJ

A lack of understanding of the benefits of apprenticeships is limiting take up among employers, according to research by Skills for Justice (SFJ).

SFJ has found that 63% of employers in the legal sector do not employ apprentices. With the start of National Apprenticeship Week coming up on March 3, SFJ’s findings included the discouraging revelation that almost 50% of the legal sector’s employers do not understand who is eligible for apprenticeships, how much apprenticeships cost, or what the different levels of apprenticeship are. Meanwhile, almost 88% of firms surveyed said that they had spent money on other forms of on-the-job training, further highlighting a widespread lack of understanding about the benefits offered by apprenticeships, including the financial incentive for firms offered by the National Apprenticeship Service, which gives employers £1,500 for each of the first 10 qualifying apprentices aged between 16-24 that they hire.

Jon Parry, head of research at SFJ, said: "Apprenticeships have grown in stature over the last few years, but this shows that more needs to be done to educate firms on the benefits they can bring. Gone are the days when apprenticeships were limited to manual trades. Now there are more than 200 different types of apprenticeship, covering a diverse range of careers including law enforcement, legal services and fire and rescue services. Apprenticeships are inexpensive, inclusive and hugely beneficial to businesses."