Trades Are Booming, but Where Are the Young People?

Apprenticeships collapsing, schools failing, and trades crying out for recruits: the UK is sleepwalking into a skills crisis.

For decades, the plumbers, sparkies, roofers, carpenters and builders who keep the country standing, have been treated like second‑class citizens. Now something is changing.

Across kitchen tables and classrooms, young people and parents are ripping up the old rulebook. The lecture hall is out; the toolbox is in. According to a new report from the trades’ directory Checkatrade, the trades are finally beginning to get the respect they deserve.

Apprenticeships Now More Popular Than University

Young people aren’t buying the old “education, education, education” mantra. 39% say apprenticeships are more appealing than university and only 32% prefer the traditional degree route. 10 years ago, just 3% picked apprenticeships as their first choice.

UCAS (the University application service) says half of all young people on its platform are now searching for apprenticeships.

Parents agree:

• 62% say rising youth unemployment makes on‑the‑job training more attractive

• 55% are more favourable about apprenticeships

• 20% are now less favourable about university

Britain’s young people want real skills, real jobs, and real futures rather than debt and disappointment.

Trades Are Now “AI‑Proof”

With AI ripping through entry‑level office jobs, the trades look safer than ever.

• 66% of young people say the trades are respected

• 48% are actively considering a trade career

• 46% say earning potential is a major draw

• 41% say job stability is key

You can’t automate a plumber, outsource a roofer or replace an electrician with ChatGPT. The trades are the heart of Britain’s future economy.

The UK Needs 1.3 Million More Tradespeople

There are 900,000 tradespeople in the UK today. Over the next decade, Britain will need 1.3 million more to:

• build homes

• retrofit insulation

• install heat pumps

• fix roofs

• upgrade electrics

• keep the country running

This is a golden opportunity for young people, but the system is failing them.

However Apprenticeships Are Collapsing

• 88% of trades haven’t hired an apprentice in the last year

• Apprenticeship starts have fallen from 522,000 (2011) to 354,000 (2025)

• Fewer than one‑third of trade apprentices complete their training

• 58% of trade businesses say government reforms haven’t helped

Tradespeople say the system is broken and small firms simply can’t afford the cost, the paperwork, or the disruption.

Schools Are Failing Young People Too

Trades say young people aren’t ready for work:

• 77% say school leavers lack work readiness

• 68% say they lack the work ethic needed for physical, demanding jobs

• 87% say schools don’t prepare students for the real world

Young people agree:

• 60% say no one has talked to them honestly about how AI will affect jobs

• 77% of parents say schools must do more to prepare young people for practical careers

The UK schools and careers advisers are pushing degrees while ignoring the jobs that actually exist.

Britain Needs

To stop the trades crisis becoming a national disaster, the report calls for five urgent actions:

Starter Grants for Young Apprentices

Tools, kit and travel cost a fortune before the first pay packet. Help low‑income apprentices get started.

National Insurance Break for Completing Apprenticeships

Reward young people who stick it out and stay on.

Strip Apprenticeships Back to Practical Skills

Less paperwork. More time on site. Tools in hand — not forms on desks.

Deliver the Work Experience Guarantee

Every young person should get hands‑on experience in real workplaces, including the trades.

Help Trades Understand the Support Available

Small firms need simple, clear guidance on funding, training and hiring apprentices.

Britain is sitting on a goldmine of opportunity, but the system is blocking young people from entering the trades at the exact moment the country needs them most.

The trades are respected, well‑paid, AI‑proof and essential, but unless government, schools and industry act now, the UK will face a 1.3 million‑person skills shortage and young people will miss out on the stable, rewarding careers they desperately want.

The trades aren’t a last resort anymore. They’re the future and the UK needs to catch up.