Most organisations do not purposely exclude applicants from apprenticeship opportunities. Despite the emphasis to achieve equality, a significant barrier to workplace entry for most people from excluded groups (women and minorities) involves the application process.
Think about the importance of a job title for a moment. It may be an essential information piece within the organisational environment, but how much status does it hold for the rest of the world?
Unless the position if for a senior leadership role, the purpose of employment is to have income. Apprenticeship titles within an organisation can limit what people may be willing to apply for when interested in entering a specific industry. How could ads get altered to engage more people?
Could an organisation find more success by recruiting for values instead of using experience as its guide? Would it be better to discuss the expectations of a typical day instead of a task list? The organisations that offer options to discuss apprenticeship opportunities at the first stage find it much easier to accomplish workforce diversity. Industrial sciences can still have specific requirements, but a small twist in perspective could change everything.