The problem with the apprenticeship scheme, as it stands, is that it's cr@p.
In the Black Country employees are only taking on kids 16-18 as they get good government subsidies. If they are 19+ they have to pay £3.5k for the training so they're not interested.
Youngsters who genuinely want an opportunity are being turned away as they are a day to old!
It also means that unscrupulous folk are taking on kids solely for the money that they bring in. Had a meeting today with a manager from a Black Country job centre who told us about an organisation that has taken (or is in the process of trying to) 20 16-18yo on doing modern apprenticeships in IT despite not having any IT equipment in situ in their offices. They will get, approx', £6.5K per kid.