Guest Editorial [Special issue: Transforming the Perception of Apprenticeships in England: Careers in the Public Sector] , Higher Education, Skills and Work-Based Learning, Vol. 10 No. 5, pp. 693-700.

The contents of this special issue are introduced at a time when COVID-19, while first and foremost a global pandemic and public health emergency, has had a profound consequence on the world of work, on talent and skills. It has caused us, amongst many things, to re-examine the status quo and consider the nature of jobs for a post-pandemic future; a future less work-driven and more public spirited perhaps where recovery will inevitably involve a reconsideration of what is valuable in society given coronavirus has put into stark relief the extraordinary contribution of health and social care occupations. If we are to avoid a return to the old normal, then we require new and alternative ideas on how to build prosperity while at the same time acknowledging nursing will remain one of our nation’s most prominent skills shortage (but will, post-COVID-19 and post-Brexit, have gained even more prominence) and management skills will persist as the most significant skills gap in the UK economy (BEIS, 2017). Each of the papers are outlined.