A poll of more than 100 employers, all of whom are paying the Apprenticeship Levy that came into force this spring, found they expected to create a total of 12,281 apprentice roles this year.

That was up about 60% from the volume of apprenticeships created by the firms last year, according to the Association of Graduate Recruiters.

In effect since 6 April, the Apprenticeship Levy requires employers in all sectors to pay 0.5% of their pay bills above £3m into a fund that is used to pay for training.

More than half of employers polled said managing their organisational response to the Levy was one of their biggest challenges this year.

AGR CEO Stephen Isherwood said: “Demand for apprentices is rising fast, particularly in light of the levy. 

“Employers, universities and schools are going to need to collaborate to make sure students understand all of the opportunities open to them.”

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