One in three apprentices failed to complete their apprenticeship programme in 2015-16, according to new government figures.

Following a change in the methodology used to calculate the apprenticeship achievement rate for frameworks, a document published today shows that the overall figure for 2015-16 stood at 67 per cent. In 2014-15 the equivalent figure stood at 71.7 per cent. However, new data suggests that, if the new methodology had been applied for previous years, the achievement rate would have remained steady at 67 per cent for both 2014-15 and 2015-16.

Sector variation

The sector subject areas which recorded the lowest achievement rates in 2015-16 were arts, media and publishing (60.4 per cent); health, public services and care (64.5 per cent); and retail and commercial enterprise (64.6 per cent).

In business, administration and law - the sector with the largest cohort (113,210) - the achievement rate was 65.3 per cent, down from 66.6 per cent the previous year (with the current methodology applied).

Mark Dawe, chief executive of the Association of Employment and Learning Providers, said comparing figures calculated using different methodologies was “harsh”. “While it can’t be relied upon at this stage, measuring performance against prior year success rates would probably be harsh,” he said.

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