More value needs to be attributed to apprenticeships by employers, it has been urged, which could see HR teams able to tap into a pool of talent.
However, Steve Huxham, chairman of the Recruitment Society, said that many workplaces still value university degrees above apprenticeships when it comes to recruitment.
“The danger there is that it has got to be aligned to what employers actually need. But I think there is an ongoing feeling that quite often, the vocational [courses] are more geared to what the individual wants and their interests rather than what is actually needed in the employment market,” he explained.
Mr Huxham’s comments come as the government pledged to invest £400 million in apprenticeships for those aged 19 or over in the 2010-11 financial year.
However, according to the Skills Investment Strategy released by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, funding for some apprenticeships will be cut by ten per cent compared with the 2009-10 academic year.
 
I think that there is an error in the article. It is more likely that a degree is geared to what the individual wants whereas vocational courses are geared to what employers want. Industry has an input into the NVQ criteria that apprentices undertake. The qualifications completed by apprentices are not based on exams and written work but their ability to demonstrate that they can do the work to recognised standards.