Apprenticeship boost for graduates - graduate jobs

Engineering companies in the north of England are providing a boost for graduates by offering more apprenticeships than other areas of the country, according to a new study.

More apprentices aged 25 and over are being taken on in the North, including the North West, North East and Yorkshire, research by Semta has found. The body, which forms a council for science, engineering and manufacturing the UK, is calling for all employers to consider recruiting an apprentice to meet a jobs and skills gap.

As National Apprenticeship Week 2012 begins, the data found that a quarter of employers in science, engineering and manufacturing in the North offer apprenticeships, compared with 17% on average nationally.

In the south of the country, 22 were offering the positions, while in the Midlands the figure was 21%.

Nearly half of the engineering apprenticeships involving those aged 25 and over in England are in the North, with engineering and manufacturing sectors requiring 82,000 new recruits across the country by 2016.