Apprenticeships proving popular as over half of parents disagree that a degree is a better guarantee for career success
Apprenticeships are becoming more popular among parents, with over half now disagreeing a university degree is the best choice for their children's blossoming careers, a study out today has found.
According to the research by Prudential, 51 per cent of parents disagree graduates are more likely to climb the career ladder faster than apprentices while the same proportion disagree that apprenticeships are best suited to those deemed non-academic.
However, not every perception held about apprenticeships was quite so positive. Over two-thirds (67 per cent) of the parents questioned believed apprenticeship roles are poorly paid, while just under half (43 per cent) felt apprenticeship opportunities are often in low-skilled, low-paid professions.
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"Apprenticeships offer an excellent introduction to the world of work and increasingly parents are recognising that university is not the only route to career success after school," said Simon Moffatt, human resources director at Prudential's insurance business in the UK.
"As university education becomes more expensive, many apprentices realise that the prospect of good longer-term employment opportunities offsets a potentially lower initial pay structure.
"While pay is important in any job, with apprenticeship schemes part of the attraction is gaining excellent on-the-job training with future job and career progression."
Last month, the National Audit Office called into question the Department for Education's plans for boosting apprenticeship numbers, pointing out it was yet to clarify how increasing the number of apprenticeships would boost productivity.