THE number of apprenticeships started by people in Bradford has dropped to the lowest level since a Government shake-up of the system, figures show. Department for Education data shows people living in the city started 3,110 apprenticeships in the 2019-20 academic year. That was down 23 per cent from 4,030 in the previous year, and a 42 per cent fall from the 5,350 in 2016-17, when the apprenticeship levy - a tax larger businesses pay towards a national fund for the training of apprentices - came into effect. Additionally, small businesses in Bradford – those with fewer than 50 employees – took on 30 per cent of apprenticeship placements in 2019-20, compared with 40 per cent in 2016-17.