‘More value’ should be placed on apprenticeships

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.

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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.