More support need for sport apprenticeships

There should be more support for young people to find entry-level apprenticeships in sports coaching.

A nationwide charity, Coach Core, says that there has been a significant decline in the number of young people from disadvantaged backgrounds taking up apprenticeships, which can be a vital route into education and employment when others have closed.

Recent government figures show that, despite apprenticeship starts in England rising 7 per cent in the first quarter of 2023-24 (when compared to the year before), entry-level intermediate apprenticeship starts have declined by 2.5%.

According to Coach Core, this is part of a “concerning trend”, which has seen the number of people starting entry-level apprenticeships fall by 74% since 2015/16 – from 291,300 to 76,300.