Manufacturing firms are giving greater priority to investment in apprenticeship programmes than graduate recruitment, new research has suggested.

A survey by manufacturers’ association the EEF indicated a “clear shift” in the way in which employers are seeking to ensure that they can hire suitably skilled workers in future.

The survey of 160 firms shows that a third (34 per cent) recruited graduates this year, down from two-thirds (66 per cent) in 2014.

In comparison, nearly three out of four (72 per cent) said they had taken on apprentices, up from two-thirds (66 per cent) four years ago.

‘Apprenticeships in the spotlight’

Verity Davidge, the EEF’s head of education and skills policy, said: “With a lack of technical skills continuing to drive recruitment problems, apprenticeships are firmly in the spotlight to fix this challenge.

“Offering the perfect mix of technical knowledge, skills and training, apprenticeship programmes are ticking all the right boxes for manufacturers.

“As a result, we are seeing these numbers take off, while graduate programmes are on a descent.

“Universities and the wider higher education sector need to be alive to these trends, as more and more employers and young people are now opting for vocational pathways that can offer a degree qualification at the end.”