From the ground up

Succession planning, the skills supply chain and the gap between academia and employment all keep the industry awake at night – could foundation apprenticeships offer a solution?

Foundation apprenticeships, says Jonathan Mitchell of Skills England, were introduced to “bridge the gap between formal learning in school or college and the world of work through a blend of structured learning with authentic on-the-job experience and accountability. This introduces learners to an industry and lays a foundation on which realistic choices about further education or employment can be based.”

They were introduced in England in May 2025 to support young people to develop core employability skills, as well as a sort of ‘try before you buy’ career path. With this in mind, EngineeringUK is keen to ensure foundation apprenticeships become a viable pathway into engineering and technology careers – that is, to encourage a talent pipeline that may otherwise be misdirected into different industries or stalled by the commitment to a career with little understanding of what it involves.

Its Pathways to Success: shaping foundation apprenticeships in engineering and technology report makes a series of recommendations designed to ensure foundation apprenticeships live up to their potential. It also hopes to reverse the worrying trend of declining recruitment onto level 2 apprenticeships.

Beatrice Barleon, Head of Policy and Public Affairs at EngineeringUK, explains: “Addressing the shortages of engineers and technicians will be crucial in enabling the UK to prosper and grow. We welcome the development of foundation apprenticeships and their aim of enabling more young people to access training in key sectors, including construction and engineering and manufacturing.

“We urge the government to be open to refining this new offer – to ensure they work for employers and young people alike. We hope our new report will help policy-makers ensure the roll-out of foundation apprenticeships is successful in addressing skills shortages across England.”

Pathways to success

The report sets out seven criteria for the government to consider. Drawing on insights from employers and education providers, the recommended success criteria are: 

• objectives are clear and complement other policies
• sectors with demand for level 2 foundation apprentices are identified
• employers buy in to the idea they are worthwhile
• small and medium-sized employers offer them
• standards are defined in a way that encourages high quality
• young people from a range of backgrounds are supported to succeed; and
• they are financially viable for providers.

Foundation apprenticeships are intended to open up more training opportunities for young people, giving them a route into critical sectors while they earn and develop valuable skills. Barleon says that if they are to meet these criteria “it will ensure employers and young people have clarity on their purpose and will encourage uptake across businesses of all sizes. Crucially, it will also ensure providers are equipped to deliver the training and will maintain high-quality standards.”

EngineeringUK is asking the government to learn from the successes and shortcomings of previous programmes and build in evaluation, and if necessary iteration, from the outset of the roll-out of foundation apprenticeships. It will need to work closely with industry to ensure that the skills system is responsive to employers’ needs.

Read EngineeringUK’s report at b.link/EngineeringUK_pathways
Read Jonathan Mitchell’s guide to foundation apprenticeships at b.link/SkillsEngland_foundation

Image credit | Alamy