Engineering sector is the second-best industry to hire an apprentice in 2020

According to the latest data from CV-Library, the UK’s leading independent job board, searches for apprenticeship jobs have increased by 1.3% in the last 12 months, with key industries experiencing an even bigger jump. 

In fact, engineering is the second-best industry to find an apprentice in 2020, with the number of searches for apprentice roles growing by 26.1% year-on-year within the sector.

The data, which analysed over 40,000 apprentice job searches between 2018 and 2019 ahead of National Apprenticeship Week, reveals the sectors that saw the highest growth in online searches for apprenticeships year-on-year include:  

• Design (up 45.6%) 
• Engineering (up 26.1%) 
• Finance (up 14.4%)  
• IT (up 5.6%)  
• Automotive (up 3.1%) 

Interestingly, the number of searches for apprentice roles don’t show the same level of growth across the board.

In fact, similar searches in administration, education and construction were down year-on-year by 24.9%, 16.5% and 11.2% respectively.   

Lee Biggins, CEO and founder of CV-Library comments: “Historically, apprenticeships haven’t always been the first port of call for young people leaving education.

“However, with such a significant increase in the number of searches for engineering apprenticeships, this is clearly changing. This spells great news for the industry, and the wider economy, as these new professionals are set to fill the engineering skills gap.’  

Furthermore, the study also analysed over 2,000 apprenticeship jobs on the CV-Library website and reveals that engineering firms are making the most of this popularity by advertising the fifth-highest number of apprenticeships; with jobs in the industry making up 6.2% of all advertised apprentice roles. Indeed, the top five industries with the largest proportion of apprentice opportunities are: 

• Administration (21.9% of all roles) 
• IT (11.6% of all roles) 
• Recruitment (7.5% of all roles) 
• Automotive (7.5% of all roles)  
• Engineering (6.2% of all roles) 

Biggins continues: “These findings prove that businesses within the engineering industry are recognising the value of hiring apprentices and have chosen to invest heavily in these schemes.

“If you don’t want your business to get left behind, it’s time to embrace apprenticeships and start to train future generations of professionals.”