Only a third of A-level students link apprenticeships to a good career, research by the Chartered Management Institute (CMI) and the EY Foundation has revealed. 

Out of 1,510 16- to 21-year-olds surveyed, 86 per cent said they had received guidance from their schools about going to university, but just 48 per cent said they had received information on taking an apprenticeship. Only 17 per cent were aware of Trailblazer degree apprenticeships.

In addition, more than 40 per cent said they had concerns about the perceived low status of apprenticeships, while two-thirds were worried about salaries being too low. Only one in four said they believed an apprenticeship could leave them with a better chance at getting a job than a university degree.

‘Students left with a false choice’

Schools and employers have to work together to help A-level students make a more informed choice, said Petra Wilton, CMI’s director of strategy. “A-level students are being left to make a false choice between getting a degree and taking an apprenticeship. But with the new degree apprenticeships, this no longer a case of either/or. As more employers look to employ 18-year-olds, schools must promote apprenticeships as an attractive route to higher education and employment,” she added.

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