Drawn from interviews with employers, ESOL providers and apprenticeship providers, this guide has been designed to raise awareness of ways in which ESOL learners can benefit from and progress to employment as an apprentice. It also illustrates how a focus on meeting ESOL learners’ needs in the workplace can benefit employers and training providers.

This guide has been developed by Learning and Work Institute as part of a wider project, undertaken at the request of the Department for Education (DfE), to understand and address barriers to apprenticeships for those with English for Speakers of Other Language (ESOL) needs.

The project aimed to:

  • Establish how and to what extent providers facilitate the transition from ESOL learning to apprenticeships
  • Identify current barriers to progression to apprenticeships for learners with ESOL needs
  • Identify ways in which policy and practice could be improved, to enable more people with ESOL needs to access apprenticeships
  • Identify any current effective practice in supporting people with ESOL needs to progress into apprenticeships.

1 April 2026

Supporting the progression of low-income workers in Scotland

With funding from the Robertson Trust, Learning and Work Institute has been working in partnership with Edinburgh College to develop a pilot to support low-income workers in Scotland to progress into better jobs.

Read more

1 April 2026

Final report: Supporting the progression of low-income workers in Scotland

This report shares findings from the second phase of our programme of work funded by the Robertson Trust and delivered in partnership with Edinburgh College. It sets out a proposed model for a new, evidence-led, in-work progression programme in Edinburgh.

Read more

19 March 2026

ESOL provision for 16–19-year-olds

Learning and Work Institute (L&W) was commissioned by the South East Strategic Partnership for Migration (SESPM) and funded by MHCLG, to research availability, challenges and opportunities in ESOL provision for 16-19‑year‑olds across the South East.

Read more

13 March 2026

Training and skills needs: Trends and challenges in UK growth sectors

This report, the second in a series of publications funded by Nuffield Foundation, explores the level of estimated skills needs in UK businesses alongside the level and type of training that employers provide.

Read more

13 March 2026

UK’s training and skills ‘tick-box culture’ puts at risk job mobility and future growth, new report warns

New analysis has identified an overreliance on mandatory and compliance training in UK workplaces compared to other countries – at the expense of more in-depth upskilling required for the jobs of the future.

Read more

17 February 2026

Labour market dashboard

Every month, Learning and Work Institute produces detailed and timely analysis of the latest labour market statistics from ONS. Explore our interactive charts.

Read more

24 December 2025

Falling short: Understanding further falls in employer training

This briefing looks at how employer investment in training continues to fall – now down 36% per employee since 2005 – and argues that we must turn this around to improve economic growth.

Read more

22 December 2025

From confusion to clarity: rethinking England’s 670 occupational standards

L&W’s Stephen Evans and Pearson’s Donna Ford-Clarke reflect on findings from our recent research on England’s occupational standards – of which there are now more than double the number in countries like Germany and Switzerland.

Read more

8 December 2025

Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal meets London learners at an event for adults’ access to essential skills learning

On Wednesday 3 December, Learning and Work Institute was delighted to welcome their patron, Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal to an event in London about essential skills for learning and life, like literacy, numeracy and digital.

Read more