Results Day Reset: Why Apprenticeships Are a good Choice For School Leavers to consider This Results Day

New interactive calculator reveals up to a £143,000* financial gap between university and apprenticeship routes as school leavers are urged to consider earn and learn alternatives.

As hundreds of thousands of UK school leavers prepare for A-Level and GCSE results days, national apprenticeship training group Impact Futures Group is calling for a ‘Results Day Reset’, urging parents, students, and educators to break away from the ‘degree by default’ culture and consider the financial realities of their post 16-18 choices.

To mark results season, Impact Futures Group has launched a free interactive Apprenticeship vs. University Calculator designed to help young people compare the financial difference between university and apprenticeships, while also showing them what apprenticeship opportunities are currently available in their area.

Rather than just showing the financial comparison, the calculator turns the results into a practical next step. Based on the user’s location and the apprenticeship route they are interested in, it shows relevant live vacancies and provides a direct route to explore opportunities through Impact Futures Group’s specialist training brands, The Childcare Company and tend® apprenticeship training. This means young people can go from comparing their options to seeing the types of apprenticeship roles they could pursue in their area.

With average graduate debt in England now standing at £53,000 under 40-year Plan 5 repayment terms, millions of young people are effectively incurring a lifelong graduate tax. Government statistics show that a degree is no longer a guarantee of employment, with 13.9% of recent graduates out of work, 16% stuck in low or medium-skilled jobs, and 1 in 7 young people classified as NEET (Not in Employment, Education, or Training) holding a university qualification.

An apprenticeship route enables young people to earn and learn from day one, avoid tuition fees, and build immediate real-world experience in critical sectors facing severe national skills shortages. Factoring in tuition fees, living costs, and three years of lost full-time earnings versus apprenticeship salary progression, the tool demonstrates a financial gap of up to £143,000* in favour of taking the apprenticeship route.

Gareth Reichers, Director of Growth and Partnerships at Impact Futures Group, said, "For two decades, school leavers have been sold the belief that university is the main route to a prestigious, high-earning career. The reality in 2026 is that tens of thousands of young people leave university burdened with lifelong debt into a tough job market. Meanwhile, Britain’s critical service sectors, from healthcare and social care to early years, are crying out for talented, ambitious young people. It is time for a Results Day Reset."

The initiative aligns with a major national policy shift, as the UK government commits £3.3bn in apprenticeship investment, introducing new £2,000 incentives for SMEs taking on apprentices under 25 and expanding foundation apprenticeships through the Growth and Skills Levy.

The initiative comes as new apprenticeship funding rules took effect in England on 1st August 2026, with the government now fully funding eligible apprenticeship training and assessment costs for 16 to 24 year olds, up to the relevant funding band maximum.

As one of the UK’s leading apprenticeship training groups, Impact Futures Group delivers training to over 6,500 apprentices annually across the UK through its specialist sector brands:

• tend® apprenticeship training: Specialist health, adult social care, and pharmacy training.
• The Childcare Company: Early years and nursery workplace apprenticeships.

For a typical school leaver, the difference can be significant. An 18-year-old choosing an apprenticeship through The Childcare Company could move straight from sixth form into an Early Years role, working towards a Level 3 qualification while earning a salary and gaining practical experience from day one. Within around two years, they could be fully qualified and already building their career, at a point when many of their university-going peers are still studying.

The same applies across health and social care. A school leaver beginning an Adult Care apprenticeship through tend® apprenticeship training could work towards becoming a qualified Lead Adult Care Worker while earning and developing hands-on experience in the sector. Rather than waiting until graduation to enter the workplace, apprentices are able to build their qualifications, experience and earning potential at the same time, without taking on university tuition fee debt.

The Apprenticeship vs. University Calculator is free to access and embed, giving students, parents and careers advisers a way to compare post-18 routes using real-world financial data and explore apprenticeship opportunities available in their area.

To try the calculator, visit: https://alevels.impactfuturesgroup.com/

––– ENDS –––

* The £143,000 figure is the illustrative financial advantage at age 21 (debt avoided + earnings while training), not the cost of a degree. Average English graduate debt is £53,000.

Sources: Student Loans Company, GOV.UK, Department for Education, Office for National Statistics, NHS Employers, NHS England, Skills for Care, Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education, Institute for Fiscal Studies, Sutton Trust. Updated August 2026.

Ends

Editors notes

Impact Futures Group is a UK-based learning provider delivering apprenticeship, skills and workforce development programmes across the public, private and third sectors. Through its people-centred approach, Impact Futures Group supports organisations to build highly skilled workforces and develop learners at every stage of their careers.