EMPLOYERS and young people alike are being told apprenticeships are good for business and for a successful career.

That’s the message being promoted by the Worcestershire Local Enterprise Partnership, the group driving investment in the county's economy.

The number of apprenticeship places in Worcestershire has risen by a staggering 218 per cent over the last 12 months.

The big increase comes as a national survey of 500 top companies reveals that employers now rate job candidates with apprenticeships as 25 per cent “more employable” than people with other qualifications including degrees.

The Worcestershire Local Enterprise Partnership has set a target to achieve 10,000 apprenticeship places in Worcestershire by 2016.

Carl Arntzen, chairman of the Worcestershire Local Enterprise Partnership Employment and Skills Board, said: “Apprenticeships are a vital element of the training of our young people.

“Too much emphasis has been placed in recent years on purely academic education by encouraging as many students as possible to take A-Levels and go on to university.

“I am delighted to see such a strong focus here in Worcestershire on re-establishing apprenticeships as a core part of Worcestershire's strategy for developing the necessary skills in the workforce.”