It is not divulging any trade secrets to say the government wants more young people to start and complete apprenticeships.

What is different about this government’s approach to apprenticeships is the scope of careers that is now covered by the term. A decade or so ago, when someone mentioned “apprenticeships” you instantly thought of a manual trade and certainly not a profession such as accountancy.

So why the effort, and the funding, to change that perception? The answer is social mobility.