The number of digital apprentices going through end-point-assessment by the industry's professional body has increased ten-fold over the past two years, new figures show.

At the start of National Apprenticeship Week, BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT, has announced that 10,000 digital apprentices have now been awarded the final sign off for their apprenticeship through BCS.

Having worked with an employer to gain on-the-job experience and received a structured programme of off-the-job learning, all apprentices must prove their competence through an independent end-point-assessment.

Annette Allmark, head of apprenticeships at BCS, said: "Digital apprenticeships are a desirable career pathway, particularly with the increasing demand amongst employers in all sectors for digital talent. For many during the pandemic, this has been a good choice because by their very nature, much of the work and study can be done online.

"At this time, considering the impact of the economy on jobs, a digital career path is promising because of the wide skills gap that needs to be filled by properly trained and qualified people.

"A digital apprenticeship is the ideal solution, enabling people to develop new skills and at the same time earn a wage and advance their career options."

Speaking at the recent BCS Virtual Festival of Digital Skills, Gillian Keegan, the apprenticeships and skills minister, said: "We recognised that technical education was going to be the rocket fuel we needed to propel our economy, even before Covid-19.

"We need to open up, celebrate and champion technical education. This pandemic has accelerated the need for our technical education system to create a pipeline of skilled productive workers who can support the future needs of the economy."

BCS offers 19 different types of Level 3 and 4 apprenticeships, ranging from Level 3 digital marketer through to Level 4 cyber security or software technician.

BCS first delivered end-point-assessments in 2017, with a focus on quality and supporting apprentices on their journey to trusted digital professionals.

With the challenges that everyone has faced over the past year, BCS is proud to celebrate the achievements of the 10,000 apprentices that it has assessed, and the spectacular effort of training providers and employers to support digital apprentices during this time.