Postgraduate teaching apprenticeships are probably older than you think.
It was back in 2018 that the route was established, building off the re-emergence of school-based training in the 2000s.
That was long before the current trend of apprenticeships being a route into previously university-dominated industries like law and finance. Perhaps that’s why the take-up was relatively slow at the start.
But things are changing.
Teaching apprenticeships: a growing pipeline
While higher-education, fee-funded routes still dominate, salaried routes into teacher training are showing rapid growth, with postgraduate teaching apprenticeships (PGTA) now accountable for 7.5 per cent of all new postgraduate entrants to teacher training - up from 0.7 per cent in 2019-20. That is a significant shift in how we are training future teachers.
With National Apprenticeship Week starting today, it is worth reiterating why this option is growing so fast.
PGTA offers the same wealth of benefits as other salaried routes into the profession: trainees are immersed in school culture, with continuous, practical exposure to teaching experience from the outset. Learning within their specific context makes training immediately relevant and transferable.
But these trainees are not left to sink or swim. The emphasis on mentoring, as part of the initial teacher training reforms and criteria, brings structured training for school mentors and personalised support for a trainee.
Widening the net
By their nature, apprenticeships are an inclusive and accessible route into a career in education. The profile of apprentices pursuing a career in education spans career-changers, those without a degree and the many people who, understandably, cannot be without a salary while they train.
Schools also benefit from this way into the profession. Apprenticeships are the most cost-effective training option for schools. In other salaried training routes, the school has to pay for its employee’s training.
Apprenticeships tend to appeal to a broader range of skilled people already in the workforce, meaning we get better representation in our classrooms, while also pulling in skills from other industries.
The teaching assistant-to-teacher path is critical, but so is the path from career-changer to highly skilled higher-level teaching assistant (HLTA) working with small groups of children with special educational needs and disabilities. Our teacher and teaching assistant workforce is strengthened by the wide-ranging experiences and specialisms people bring into our school communities.
All of this means that the apprenticeship route is a really effective way of building a “grow your own” strand into a teaching workforce recruitment and retention strategy.
The barriers that still exist
But apprenticeships are not without their barriers, especially for schools and small trusts without the infrastructure to easily navigate the levy funding landscape. For some schools, access to the funding is layered with multiple stakeholders that may include a local authority or trust structure, adding complexity.
Schools also report challenges in releasing staff for the mandatory off-the-job training, which must take place in the working day. This is a particular challenge for small primary schools where providing cover for an apprentice each week represents a cost.
While this is frustrating, the growth of the PGTA shows that schools feel that the benefits are worth the hassle of negotiating these challenges.
Policy changes have supported this through the reduction in apprenticeship length from 12 months to a minimum of nine months to mirror the school year and better align it to the assessment of trainees for their Qualified Teacher Status. This allows apprentices to complete their training before starting their induction as an early career teacher (ECT).
Huge growth - but more to be done
At Vlog Institute, we see the impact of the PGTA in practice. Employers have defined career pathways for their aspiring teachers to move into teaching roles in a structured and cost-effective way.
School communities benefit from creating teachers fully attuned to school culture with strong employment outcomes. Trainees report high satisfaction in having responsibility for their own classes as part of the high-intensity approach that suits many.
The 882 per cent growth from 2019-20 to 2025-26 demonstrates that others agree. But to grow this route even further, the responsive approach that government has shown thus far must continue.
Every school should be aware of its entitlement to the levy and how it can use it. Collectively, government and providers need to help them overcome barriers with targeted, sector-specific advice and guidance that ensures the school sector does not miss out.
Schools thrive on a diverse, multi-skilled, committed workforce.
Apprenticeships are a fantastic way to help us ensure that is possible in every setting, but we cannot be complacent about the next stage of growth.
We need strong, coordinated and continued commitment from training providers and government to ensure schools are well informed and able to tap into apprenticeships for years to come.
Hannah Senel-Walp is director of Vlog Institute (which is part of Vlog Global, as is Vlog Magazine)
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