Apprenticeship take up in Kent dropped by more than 2,200 in a year, mainly among over-24s, after a temporary change to funding.

While employers taking on 16 to 24-year-olds can apply for grants, the introduction of the Advanced Learning Loan in August 2013 put the onus on apprentices.

The scheme, which has since been scrapped for apprentices, affected anyone aged over 24 taking an A-level standard apprenticeship or higher.

It is thought to have put off many applicants, even though they did not have to pay anything back until they are earning more than £21,000 a year.

Kent County Council skills and employability manager Martin Blincow said: “Just as with student loans it makes a potential loanee consider their options.”

There were 2,210 fewer new apprentices in the 2013/14 academic year, down to 12,260 from 14,470 in 2012/13.

However, take up has nearly doubled over the last five years across the county, with new apprenticeships rising from 6,530 in 2009 to 12,270 last year.

“Just as with student loans it makes a potential loanee consider their options...” - KCC's Martin Blincow

Provisional figures for August to October indicate the level of new apprentices is likely to stay the same for the current academic year.

Mr Blincow added: “There will be ebbs and flows ... but the direction of travel is clear.”

East Kent College principal Graham Razey played down the impact of Advanced Learning Loans, which remain in place for other types of learning which are not apprenticeships.

He said: “There are many reasons why apprenticeship starts have dropped.

“Providers are encouraged to focus their recruitment activities on 16 to 18s and 19 to 24s. Effectively these age groups are uncapped for funding. The adult skills budget which includes 19+ apprenticeships has been cut by the government by over 35% in the last three years.

“Also the government have tightened the rules regarding the badging of existing employees as apprentices. There were some high profile cases with supermarkets such as Morrisons and Asda.

“The government reversed the Advanced Learning Loans system for apprentices very quickly and it only applied to level 3 and level 4 apprenticeships. I think it was a minor issue.”

The most popular courses in 2013/14 were in business, administration and law with 3,230 starters, followed by health, public services and care with 3,200 and retail commercial and enterprise with 2,420.

The least popular were in sciences and maths with 10 followed by arts, media and publishing, with 20, although language, literature and culture and preparation for work did not record any data.