The London Assembly's Economy Committee has published its report Trained in London: Creating more apprenticeships to support the London economy, which highlights the challenges London faces and calls on the Mayor to use his power and influence to do much more with apprenticeships. London is lagging behind the rest of the country when it comes to the number of apprenticeships. This slidepack summarises our report and our recommendations.

1. OCTOBER 2014
Trained in London
Creating more apprenticeships to support the London Economy

2. 1 The London Assembly’s Economy Committee has been investigating
apprenticeships in London
There is widespread support for apprenticeships amongst employers and
apprentices. Apprenticeships are a win-win for the London economy. They create
highly-skilled young people, improve performance, retain staff and inject new ideas
into an organisation.

3. Data from Skills Funding Agency and
ONS Regional Employment Data
2 London is lagging behind other regions in England when it comes to the total
number of apprenticeships and the number of new apprenticeships created.
As a proportion of total employment, London’s figure of 2% was the lowest in
England.
The Mayor needs a cohesive action plan to deliver his target of a quarter of a million
apprenticeships by 2016. He needs a 19% year-on-year increase in new apprenticeships
to reach his target.

4. 3 London has the highest rate of youth unemployment in the country. In 2012
25% of economically active young adults in London were unemployed,
compared with 20% in the rest of England (London’s Poverty Profile 2013).
“The Mayor must use his power and influence to make sure London is not left behind
in terms of skills and employment opportunities for young people.”
Stephen Knight AM

5. 4 The Economy Committee welcomes the Mayor’s renewed efforts to increase
the number of apprenticeships, especially amongst Small and Medium
Enterprises (SMEs) to take on one or two apprentices.
We recognise that it’s more expensive to set up an apprenticeship in London
compared to other parts of the UK. The Mayor has committed to provide financial
support to SMEs, but he needs to make clear exactly how much will be provided.

6. 5 Sectors such as construction, Information and Communications Technology
(ICT) and leisure, travel and tourism, are among the worst performing
sectors in terms of the proportion of apprenticeships created.
We recommend that these sectors be targeted to boost their numbers of
apprenticeships. Measures, including procurement could be used to incentivise large
firms to take on more apprentices.

7. 6 We are concerned about the inconsistent quality of signposting by schools
for apprenticeships, since the removal of independent careers advice
services across London. We also need strong commitment from the
Higher Education sector, particularly Russell Group universities to provide
more Higher Apprenticeships.
We recommend the Mayor support a pan-London careers advice service to
highlight apprenticeships to young people as a viable career option. The Mayor
should also engage with the Higher Education sector to ensure more Higher
Apprenticeships are offered at London’s universities.

8. Download Trained in London here and read more about the
investigation by visiting:
www.london.gov.uk/apprenticeships-report
Please share this report amongst your networks and if you would
like to show your support email economycommittee@london.gov.uk.