Britain has got itself into a ridiculous position. Young people are struggling to get their first proper job, while businesses need skilled people to grow. For years, politicians have sold university as the route to success and treated apprenticeships as something for everybody else. Now employers and youngsters are paying for that attitude.
The numbers do not lie
I have spent 20 years warning where this would lead. The latest evidence from training provider JTL should make Westminster sit up. England’s plumbing workforce has shrunk by 25,700 since 2018, a fall of 16 per cent. More than 8,500 new entrants are needed annually to meet growth and replacement demand, yet the latest full-year figures show just 2,150 apprenticeship starts.
Those numbers come from my industry, but every business owner should pay attention. When skilled people leave and too few replacements come through, work takes longer, costs rise and opportunities disappear. You can have customers queuing up and money ready to invest, but without people capable of doing the job, your growth plans stay on paper.
The graduate market tells the other side of the story
The graduate jobs market exposes the other side of this mess. The Institute of Student Employers’ 2025 survey found graduate recruitment among its members fell 8 per cent, while apprentice hiring rose 8 per cent. These are mainly large employers with the resources to run training programmes. Smaller businesses need a fair chance to do the same.
Apprenticeships belong in offices as well as on building sites. A young person learning accountancy, engineering or technology while earning a wage is building a career. We should be opening those doors much wider, including to graduates who discover their degree has not given them the practical experience employers want.
University has its place – but it is not the only place
University has its place. But telling youngsters that collecting qualifications will automatically secure their future is a bloody irresponsible way to prepare them for working life. Employers need people who can apply what they know, deal with customers and take responsibility. Those skills develop through doing the work alongside somebody who knows how.
I built a £150 million plumbing business from the ground up, creating 1,200 apprenticeships along the way. Training people helped that business grow. It also required wages, supervision and experienced staff giving up productive time to teach somebody else.
What the Government needs to do
For a small business, taking on its first apprentice can be a serious financial commitment. Ministers need to understand that before commissioning another skills strategy or posing for another photograph in a hard hat.
My answer is straightforward: pay employers to train apprentices. Help cover apprentices’ wages, make support simple to access and reward businesses that provide proper training through to completion. Give owners a practical reason to take somebody on and the backing to see it through.
Business owners have a responsibility too
Business owners have a responsibility too. We cannot keep complaining that nobody has experience while expecting another company to provide it. Training must be part of how we plan for growth.
Britain’s next generation needs somebody willing to give it a start. If the Government wants a growing economy, helping employers do that would be a useful place to begin.
Key takeaways
- England’s plumbing workforce has shrunk by 25,700 since 2018, a fall of 16 per cent. More than 8,500 new entrants are needed annually to meet demand, yet only 2,150 apprenticeship starts were recorded in the latest full year.
- The Institute of Student Employers found graduate recruitment fell 8 per cent in 2025 while apprentice hiring rose 8 per cent – a signal that the market is shifting, but smaller businesses need support to keep pace with larger employers.
- Charlie Mullins built a £150 million plumbing business and created 1,200 apprenticeships. His argument is that training people is not a cost to be avoided but a condition of growth – and that business owners cannot complain about skills shortages while leaving training to someone else.
- The practical fix is simple: pay employers to train apprentices, cover part of apprentice wages, make support easy to access and reward businesses that see training through to completion.
- University has its place, but presenting qualifications as the automatic route to a secure future is irresponsible. Employers need people who can apply knowledge, deal with customers and take responsibility – skills that develop through doing the work.
