Parents favour apprenticeships over university

A survey commissioned by the Chartered Management Institute has found that more parents would prefer their child to get an apprenticeship rather than go to university.

Just over half of parents questioned would encourage their child to apply for an apprenticeship instead of university, with 59 per cent thinking that an apprenticeship provided better job prospects than a university degree.

However, less than half of those polled said that vocational qualifications were better than academic qualifications and just 29 per cent were aware of T-levels, the equivalent to A-levels, which will be launched in England next year. But, after being given a short description of them, 72 per cent said they would adequately prepare young people for the workforce.

Rob Wall, head of policy at the CMI, said: "As parents are a major influencer in young people's education and career choices, educating and informing parents will be key to making T-levels a success. At CMI, we know that high quality technical and vocational education increases employability and boosts social mobility, and the government's recent announcement to invest additional funding in T-levels is to be welcomed.

"But students cannot enjoy these benefits if they are not aware of or not encouraged to consider non-academic pathways."