‘More vacancies than ever for young people’

With more than half of young people in England wanting to do an apprenticeship if one were available and information from youth website Not Going To Uni showing 71 per cent of employers would recommend young people do an apprenticeship, the NAS is anticipating a busy time.

While the number of vacancies available on apprenticeships.org.uk varies from day to day, the highest number recorded nationally in the last three months was 20,615 on June 21.

With A Level results just out, a search for vacancies in Worcestershire revealed 1,321 available online.

Skills minister Matthew Hancock said: “With more vacancies than ever before, apprenticeships are fast becoming the norm for young people who want to achieve their career goals through an alternative route to university.

“We want more employers to take advantage of the advice and support available from the National Appren-ticeship Service and consider how hiring an apprentice could benefit their business."

The increasing popularity of apprenticeships among young people comes after business research showed employers find apprentices 15 per cent more employable than young people with other qualifications.

In the study, employers ranked apprentices the most employable of all young people, above those with degrees.

David Way, executive director of the NAS said: “A-Level results time can be really stressful for young people, especially as they wait for their results. The good news is that with ever more apprenticeships, there is an increasing range of high quality options available to young people.”

A special #ResultsAdvice service will run on Twitter and Facebook until August 29 to give young people the opportunity to ask questions about their exam results, apprenticeships and wider career options.

The National Careers Service can be contacted free on 0800 100 900 from 8am to 10pm or go online for information and advice or to talk to an adviser via webchat. .