UCAS’ response to the Chancellor’s Autumn Budget 27 October 2021

Clare Marchant, Chief Executive, said: “We welcome the Government’s enhanced commitment to apprenticeships and technical education in today’s Budget, with the Chancellor committing to a £3.8 billion investment in education and skills. This will help ensure that, as the 18 year old population continues to grow over the decade, students have access to the full range of opportunities available to them, whether this be undergraduate study or apprenticeships, and UCAS is here to help them navigate these choices.

We know that interest in apprenticeships is growing, with half of UCAS applicants saying they are interested in this route. UCAS remains committed to providing personalised information, advice and guidance on the full range of higher education and career opportunities available to help students make an informed decision on the best path for them. Every year more than 2 million people search for apprenticeship opportunities through our Career Finder tool on ucas.com, and we have seen a 71% increase in those pursuing apprenticeships through UCAS in the last year alone.”  

Ends


UCAS Press Office

01242 545 469

communications@ucas.ac.uk

@ucas_corporate

Notes for editors

UCAS, the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service, is an independent charity, and the UK's shared admissions service for higher education.

Our services support young people making post-18 choices, as well as mature learners, by providing information, advice, and guidance to inspire and facilitate educational progression to university, college or an apprenticeship. We manage almost three million applications, from around 700,000 people each year, for full-time undergraduate courses at over 380 universities and colleges across the UK.

We also provide a wide range of research, consultancy and advisory services to schools, colleges, careers services, professional bodies and employers, including apprenticeships.

We’re a successful and fast-growing organisation, which helps hundreds of thousands of people every year. We're committed to delivering a first-class service to all of our customers — they're at the heart of everything we do.