Shocking new figures last month from the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development showed there has been a 41% decline in the number of apprenticeships for under-19s since the Apprenticeship Levy was introduced in 2017.

The levy requires all employers with an annual wage bill of more than £3 million to pay 0.5% of payroll costs into training schemes.

But the CIPD said the current system is “undermining ambition” as the number of apprenticeship starts has decreased.