Apprenticeships
must be on equal footing with university degrees, according to major
report
As the latest NEET figures reveal numbers are still at a record high, a
new study highlights the role apprenticeships play in getting school and
college leavers into work
Just under a
million 16 to 24 year olds are currently unemployed in the UK. Meanwhile
the number of young people applying to go to University has fallen since
the introduction of Tuition Fees last year. So options for this age
group seem to be limited, but are they?
Industry
experts are calling upon the government to give a greater priority to
and focus on vocational courses over university degrees, after a major
report revealed that apprenticeships could result in comparable earnings
to a university graduate.
Whilst 44%
of 2012/13 graduates are predicted to be either underemployed or
unemployed six months after leaving full time education the report
commissioned by AAT (The Association of Accounting Technicians) and
compiled by CEBR, reveals those with vocational qualifications such as
Higher Apprenticeships can earn an estimated £150,000 more over their
lifetime than someone with no qualifications, which is comparable to the
earnings advantage a graduate could expect.
The report
also highlighted that just 4.5% of those with Level 4 vocational
qualifications are unemployed which is significantly less than the 12.1%
of 2012/13 graduates predicted to still be unemployed six months after
graduating.
Watch our
video to find out more about the AAT report’s findings: