A pause for thought about apprenticeships National Apprenticeships Week has led me to thinking about how interesting it is that the scope of opportunities for young people is now far broader than in years gone by.

Alongside the traditional and highly valued tradesman roles such as plumbers, carpenters and electricians or hairdressers and caterers, it is now possible to undertake apprenticeships in such fields as computing technology, graphic design, civil engineering, healthcare, medical research and marine technology.

Apprenticeships are no longer considered the ‘poor relation’ of options at 16.

For an increasing number of young people they are being considered the first option at both 16 and 18, recognising that they are paid employment opportunities, offering on-the-job training combined with study towards a professional qualification for a period of between one to four years.

There is a scheme for all levels of ability and ambition: Intermediate (Level 2) – equivalent to five good GCSEs; Advanced (Level 3) – equivalent to two A-levels; and Higher (Level 4) – equivalent to a university degree.

Hampshire County Council is very much ‘doing its bit’ to invest in the future economy of Hampshire and support its young people.

Currently we employ 101 full-time apprentices who are working, for example, as rangers for the countryside service, administrators in the registration service, mechanics, teaching assistants and in the museum, library and laboratory services.

We have invested £4 million in cutting edge facilities at Andover College and CEMAST (Centre for Excellence for Engineering, Manufacturing and Advanced Skills Training) in Fareham, to equip people with the skills required for 21st century careers.

We also provide support to our family of schools through the Hampshire Careers and Employability Service, to help them provide information and advice to students so that, in turn, they can reach an informed decision about the next steps to their future career.

Every young person is an individual and there are options to support them across all career pathways.

Today’s apprenticeships provide an important, viable alternative to the more traditional study routes and are increasingly recognised by young people and employers as the route to personal and business success.