The number of people completing apprenticeships in London has increased by over 500% in some parts of the capital over the past four years, according to statistics released today by the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills.
According to the Department, 6,200 people completed an apprenticeship in the capital in 2007/08, compared to just 2,050 in 2003/04 – an increase of 202 per cent.
Nationally the Government has set a target of 130,000 completed apprenticeships by 2010/11. Today’s figures take the total number of completions to 112,600.
Welcoming the figures, Skills Secretary John Denham said “Today’s regional figures show the highest ever number of people completing their apprenticeships, with the highest ever completion rate of 64 per cent. This compares favourably with other European countries, but we’re not complacent – we aim to increase this to 70 per cent over the coming years.”
The release of the figures comes during national Apprenticeship Week, a Learning and Skills Councils initiative to promote apprenticeship opportunities.
Earlier this week London Mayor Boris Johnson announced the capital’s government is on target to create more than 3,000 apprenticeships over the next three years and recent months have seen a number of councils and other bodies announce work skills improvement schemes.
