“Fire it up!” - that’s education secretary Damian Hinds’ and his department’s campaign message about apprenticeships. And it only cost them £2.5 million. 

The sizzling marketing campaign - which you’ll see on your tellies and timelines - was created by word-renowned advertising house M&C Saatchi and is the Department for Education’s latest bid to encourage people of all ages into apprenticeships. 

“The sad truth is that outdated and snobby attitudes are still putting people off apprenticeships, which means they’re missing out on great jobs and higher salaries - many of them in the sorts of firms graduates look to land jobs with after university,” said Hinds at the campaign launch.

“It’s vital that we challenge people’s thinking about apprenticeships, which is why the government’s new ‘Fire it Up’ campaign will aim to shift deeply held views and drive more people towards an apprenticeship.”

As well as the advertisements, a website will be launched to provide advice and access to thousands of apprenticeship opportunities.

It’s hoped that this will be enough to reverse the decline in the number of people starting apprenticeships. Since the apprenticeship levy was introduced in April 2017, the number of people starting has declined dramatically. Prior to the levy in 2015-16, 468,500 people started an apprenticeship. From August 2017 to June 2018, the figure fell to 341,700.

Will the campaign spark many a desire to complete an apprenticeship? Or will it reduce £2.5 million to a pile of ash? Let’s see