Apprenticeships and wellbeing. Are employers setting young people up to succeed?

By Dan Charlish, Founder and CEO of Snow Camp

Employers have embraced apprenticeships as a way to address skills shortages and build future talent in recent years, but recruitment is only the start of the story; retaining apprenticeships is another one entirely. According to the latest government figures, the overall apprenticeship achievement rate has seen an increase of 4.9% to 65.4% since last year, but what about that 35% dropout rate? If organisations want apprentices to stay and thrive, they need to think beyond the technical basics and training, and consider the role that confidence, wellbeing and workplace culture play in long-term success, especially when it comes to underserved young people across the UK.

We measure starts, but should we be measuring success?

There is no question about the value of apprenticeships. They help tackle skills shortages, reduce youth unemployment and build the future talent pool. However, while apprenticeship enrolments receive plenty of attention, retention is often the conversation that people prefer to avoid.

For employers, every apprentice who leaves early represents lost investment, wasted recruitment costs, disrupted teams and missed potential. It’s often just considered the “wrong fit”, but this isn’t the whole story.

A January 2026 study from the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) found that disadvantaged apprentices are ‘most likely’ to struggle, and those who were eligible for free school meals at school were 10% more likely to withdraw from an apprenticeship than their peers. Those from the areas of highest deprivation were also 9% more likely to drop out than those in the least deprived areas.

The NFER report found that disadvantaged apprentices need earlier, more targeted support from the moment they begin considering an apprenticeship and throughout their training journey. This is not about criticising employers; investing in young talent is hugely positive. However, providing apprentices with the right support and tools to succeed ultimately benefits everyone.

Confidence is a workplace issue, not just an education issue

Many employers have the expectation that apprentices are arriving “job-ready”. In reality, many young people enter apprenticeships carrying years of experience that affect their confidence and ability to actually be work-ready. Young people from underserved communities have experienced disrupted education, anxiety, low self-belief, limited exposure to professional environments and some have previous experiences of failure.

Confidence isn’t something that employers can simply just expect, it’s something that typically develops through positive experiences, whether that be through education, youth work or an apprenticeship itself. This is where good employers make all the difference.

Wellbeing is one of the strongest retention tools employers have

Many businesses have started to recognise the benefit of a wellbeing strategy for their company and their culture. This is especially important for those who are hiring apprentices.

Apprentices often experience difficulties with imposter syndrome and self-doubt. That’s not something that can just be shut off by joining an apprenticeship. It’s something that needs to be unlearned and that takes time to do. If apprentices are under constant pressure to be at the top of their game right from the get-go, drop-outs are inevitable.

Many apprentices are also facing further struggles around financial pressures, balancing work and study, isolation and fears about making mistakes. These challenges can easily lead a young person to come to the conclusion that dropping out is the only solution when they don’t feel supported.

A supportive manager, regular check-ins and psychological safety can make all the difference between someone persevering or quietly disengaging.

How to support young people in the right ways

The best employers don’t remove challenge from apprenticeships, but they do help young people build the confidence to navigate it. Resilience isn’t developed by avoiding setbacks; it’s built through experiencing them, learning from them and realising that mistakes are part of progress rather than proof of failure.

For many young people, particularly those who haven’t had the easiest start, confidence comes from evidence rather than encouragement. They become more confident when they achieve something they didn’t think they could do, whether that’s mastering a new skill, like snowsports for our apprentices or presenting to colleagues for the first time in the workplace, or it could even be as simple as overcoming the nerves to get their feet through the door in the first few weeks of their new role. Those small successes gradually change how they see themselves and it builds confidence to succeed in the workplace.

How apprenticeships should be viewed

This is why apprenticeships should be viewed as more than a technical training programme. They’re also an opportunity to develop resilience, communication skills, self-belief and a sense of belonging in the workplace. Employers who recognise this are often the ones who see apprentices grow into loyal, capable employees rather than losing them before they’ve had the chance to fulfil their potential.

The evidence increasingly suggests that completion isn’t simply about the apprentice. The Department for Education data shows significant variation in achievement rates between training providers, while research has consistently found that structured onboarding, supportive managers and regular mentoring improve retention. In other words, apprenticeship success depends on a genuine partnership between the young person, the employer and the training provider.

Hiring apprentices is only the beginning

As businesses continue to invest in apprenticeships to address skills shortages and strengthen their future workforce, it’s worth asking whether we’re measuring the right things. Recruitment targets matter, but they only tell us how many young people crossed the starting line. Retention, progression and wellbeing tell us whether they were given a genuine opportunity to succeed.

Apprenticeships remain one of the UK’s most effective routes into meaningful employment and social mobility, but they can only deliver on that promise if young people are supported to stay the course. The employers that will attract and retain the next generation of talent won’t simply be those offering apprenticeship opportunities. They’ll be the organisations that create workplaces where young people feel they belong, can ask for help, are encouraged to learn from mistakes and are given the confidence to grow.

Ultimately, the question isn’t whether young people are ready for apprenticeships. It’s whether employers are creating environments where young people can succeed.