Key points:

• Despite some growth in the number of apprenticeship starts by ethnic minority learners, their representation relative to the secondary school population remains low.
• Much of the growth in apprenticeship starts in the past decade has been driven by older apprentices.
• Ethnic minority apprentices tend to favour certain sectors: health, public services and care; business, administration and law.
• White apprentices are more likely to complete the training than their counterparts from ethnic minorities in all sectors except for hospitality.
• Following the COVID-19 lockdown, vacancies for apprenticeships fell dramatically, including in those sectors favoured by ethnic minority learners.
• The government’s Kickstart programme runs the risk of undermining the push for greater ethnic minority representation in apprenticeships.

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