The labour market for school and college leavers is currently the focus of much attention. With those aged 18 to 24 among the most affected by rising unemployment rates, the Government has taken steps to boost their prospects, commissioning an independent review to explore the increase in the number of young people who are not in education, employment or training (‘NEETs’) and restructuring its support for employers running apprenticeship schemes. Meanwhile there has been extensive press coverage suggesting that job boards have seen a decline in the number of graduate vacancies being listed – although that does not necessarily mean that traditional milkround activity and direct advertising have likewise declined.
This latest iteration of our annual survey aims to capture a detailed snapshot of the current labour market for apprentices at all levels, including degree apprentices, and for graduates. It will also provide key pay and progression benchmarking information for employers with these trainee positions.
The survey is divided into separate sections for apprentices (including degree apprentices) and graduates, looking at pay and the labour market for each group. We welcome participation from employers that only operate schemes for 'traditional' apprentices, degree apprentices, graduates or any combination of these and routing in the survey will enable respondents to skip any sections that do not apply. It will take around 20 minutes to complete and all those who participate will receive a free summary report of the results. You can complete the survey in more than one sitting by clicking 'save and continue later' at the bottom of any page.
The deadline for completing the survey is Friday 30 October 2026.
If you have any questions, or would like a hard copy of the survey, please do not hesitate to contact me.