It is pleasing to see that young people are making the connection between a qualification and increased employment prospects (“When the going gets tough, the tough get educated”, 5 July) but employers need to meet them halfway. If they open their recruitment processes to give equal value to vocational and academic qualifications, we can begin to address the skills shortage, fill the gaps and shape individuals into employees who are fit for the job. Now is the time to invest in high-quality apprenticeship programmes to help get young people into more industry sectors so that we can overcome the Neet (not in education, employment or training) problem once and for all.

Suzie Webb, Director of education, Association of Accounting Technicians (AAT), East London.