IT apprenticeships are better than degrees, say employers

IT apprenticeships would serve the IT industry better than degrees, according to a report from IT recruitment web site CWJobs.

The vast majority of people within the IT industry, some 84 per cent, think apprenticeships are a good alternative to further education according to the report.

However, 83 per cent of the survey's respondents felt that not enough businesses were offering these apprenticeships and that the government should be doing more to encourage firms to offer them.

This is despite Chancellor George Osborne's pledge in the Budget in March to create 50,000 apprenticeship schemes funded by a package of £300m.

Recent research from the Centre for Economics and Business Research predicted that 55 per cent of graduates will either be unemployed or working in a non-graduate job six months after finishing their studies.

The CWJobs survey also found that 80 per cent of respondents believe that appenticeships offer better business benefits.

Richard Nott, web site director at CWJobs, said: "Further education isn't for everyone. Rising tuition fees and challenging graduate employment conditions open the way for alternatives.

"IT professionals evidently recognise the importance of apprenticeship schemes. For young jobseekers they're an excellent way of gaining qualifications and valuable workplace experience while still earning. Businesses benefit too through harnessing fresh talent, filling core skills gaps and critically, improving their bottom line."