DfE surpasses apprenticeship target two years in a row

New DfE figures show that it has surpassed the government’s public sector apprenticeship target for the second year running.

The Department for Education has recruited 354 apprentices of all ages since April 2017. The department offers a wide range of apprenticeship opportunities in areas like cyber security, digital marketing, project delivery and software development at all levels right up to degree.

In 2017 all public sector bodies with 250 or more staff in England were set a target of employing at least 2.3% of their total staff as new apprentice every year until 2021. The department has exceeded the target for two years in a row – with 116 (2.5%) apprentices starting in 2017/18 and 177 apprentices starting (2.9%) in 2018/19, and is on track to exceed the target again in 2019/20.

Earlier this year, the Department for Education launched a new campaign, ‘Fire it Up’, to raise awareness of the huge variety of apprenticeship options available for people of all ages and backgrounds.