This particular topic is one that is especially close to my heart. In the mid-1980s I was involved in helping the Australian government pilot vocational traineeships designed to bridge the gap between traditional trades and university education.
It was an early attempt to create a structured pathway into skilled careers for people who did not follow a purely academic route.
Nearly forty years later, it is encouraging to see how modern apprenticeship programmes continue to play a similar role in many countries around the world—providing practical routes into professional careers while allowing people to earn, learn, and develop real workplace experience.
Sometimes the biggest barrier to employment is not capability, it’s simply the lack of an opportunity to start
A statistic that made me pause
A recent report by the BBC highlighted that 957,000 young people in the UK are now classified as NEET: not in education, employment or training.
That represents 12.8% of all 16–24 year olds.
Behind every one of those numbers is a young person trying to solve a frustrating paradox:
You need experience to get a job—but you need a job to gain experience.
Reading this prompted me to do something simple.
I looked at our own workforce data and what I found was encouraging.
Looking at our own numbers
Around one third of our employees are aged under 30.
- 13% are aged 18–25
- 18% are aged 26–30
In a professional services business, where experience and specialist knowledge are highly valued, that proportion is significant. It reflects a deliberate effort to create pathways into the profession, not just recruit fully formed experts.
One of the ways we do this is through apprenticeships.
Over the past five years we have recruited 30 apprentices across the business. Of those, 17 remain in employment with us today.
Ten have already completed their apprenticeships and now have an average length of service of over four years. A further seven are still progressing through their programmes.
That tells a story that is about more than recruitment. It’s about building careers.
Apprenticeships are not just for school leavers
Apprenticeships are sometimes misunderstood in professional environments.
There can still be a perception that they are only for very young people with limited experience or for those who have not pursued university education.
In reality, apprenticeships are far more flexible than that.
They provide a structured way for people to earn while they learn, gaining practical experience alongside professional qualifications. They can be just as valuable for someone starting their career as they are for someone changing direction later in life.
One of our apprentices joined precisely for that reason— to retrain and move into a completely different profession.
That is something I think we will see more of in the coming years. As careers become less linear and people increasingly look to reskill or pivot, apprenticeships can become a powerful mechanism for career transition, not just career entry.
Why apprenticeships work
What makes apprenticeship programmes successful is not that they are easy.
In fact, they are demanding.
They require commitment from the apprentice, structured support from the employer, and a genuine willingness to invest in development over the long term.
Our CEO has long been a strong advocate for apprenticeships, not because they are a quick or simple recruitment solution, but because they are effective.
- Effective at developing capability.
- Effective at building loyalty.
- Effective at creating professionals who understand the business from the ground up.
When apprenticeships are approached in that way, they become far more than a recruitment tool. They become part of an organisation’s talent strategy.
The role businesses can play
Youth unemployment is often framed as a public policy challenge, and rightly so. Governments have an important role to play in education, training and labour market policy.
But employers also have influence, sometimes more than we realise.
Every apprenticeship programme, early career pathway or structured entry-level role creates an opportunity for someone who might otherwise struggle to gain that first foothold in the labour market.
In a period where nearly one million young people are currently outside work, education or training, those opportunities matter.
Sometimes the most meaningful thing an organisation can do is simply open the door.
And when that door leads to a long-term career, not just a first job, the impact can last far beyond the statistics.
As the world of work continues to change, organisations will need to think differently about how they develop talent. Apprenticeships and structured early-career programmes are not just social initiatives, they are a strategic way to build capability for the future, supported by systems such as payroll software and HR technology that help manage and develop growing teams. In a labour market that is constantly changing, investing in people at the start of their careers may be one of the smartest decisions a business can make.
Sometimes, the most powerful thing a business can do is simply open the door.
Key takeaways
Youth unemployment remains a significant challenge
Recent figures show 957,000 young people in the UK are not in education, employment or training (NEET) — representing 12.8% of all 16–24 year olds.
Employers have an important role to play
While government policy and education systems matter, businesses ultimately create the opportunities that allow people to gain the experience needed to begin their careers.
Apprenticeships provide a powerful pathway into professional work
Modern apprenticeship programmes allow individuals to earn while they learn, gaining practical experience alongside formal qualifications.
They are not only for school leavers
Apprenticeships can also support career changers or individuals looking to retrain, creating more flexible routes into professional careers.
Early career investment strengthens organisations
Developing talent through apprenticeships and structured entry pathways helps organisations build skills, loyalty and long-term capability.
