I WRITE in response to Joe Willis’ column in which he said young people were being “proper stiffed” by apprenticeships (DST, Aug 14).

North Yorkshire County Council fully supports the apprenticeship route as a positive choice for young people seeking to combine work with nationally accredited training. Within North Yorkshire there is an excellent range of apprenticeships on offer with current vacancies in Digital Marketing, Web Design, Electrical/Mechanical/Design Engineering, Vehicle Body Repair and Property Letting – with salaries up to £200+ per week.

It is a Government requirement that all apprentices must receive the appropriate apprentice national minimum wage. This is £2.73 for apprentices aged 16 to 18 and those aged 19 or over who are in their first year (rising to £3.30 from October 2015), £5.13 for 19 and 20 year olds and £6.50 for those aged 21 and over.

The number of young people aged 16 to 18 years who start an apprenticeship has risen. Recently released Government figures comparing North Yorkshire quarter two apprenticeship starts in 2014-15 with the previous year indicate a 12 per cent rise.

Information from the National Apprenticeship Service also makes compelling reading. It confirms that 23 per cent of all former apprentices had received a promotion within 12 months of finishing, that 89 per cent are satisfied with their apprenticeship and that 19 per cent progress to higher education.

There are up to 27,000 apprenticeship vacancies available online nationally at any one time, including higher and degree apprenticeships, ranging from foundation degrees, HNDs and full honours degrees.

There are intermediate, advanced and higher (degree level) apprenticeships in more than 170 industries, with more than 1,500 job roles, from advertising to youth work and environmental engineering and nuclear decommissioning.

During the next few months, many young people in North Yorkshire will start an exciting and rewarding career through the apprenticeship route at all of these levels. Clearly young people, parents and employers recognise the benefits of this very important route into employment and I agree with Anthony Knowles, Head of Employer and Delivery Services at the National Apprenticeship Service, who has stated: “Apprenticeships are thriving in England and it’s not hard to see why. They offer ambitious young people unrivalled careers prospects and personal development opportunities. They can gain the skills and knowledge they need to succeed, in some cases up to degree level, while working and earning. An apprenticeship is proven to increase your earnings potential.”

If further evidence of their worth is needed it has also been evidenced that those completing a higher apprenticeship could see increased earnings of an estimated £150,000 over their lifetime – comparable to those for graduates.

County Councillor Arthur Barker, Executive Member for the Children and Young People’s Service, North Yorkshire County Council