Some graduates 'better off doing apprenticeships'

A politician has claimed that some university graduates would have been better off completing apprenticeships than going into higher education.

With one in three graduates working in sectors unrelated to their area of study, the benefit of apprenticeships are being overlooked said John Denham, Secretary for Innovation, Universities and Skills.

Research conducted by Kent University last year concluded that almost six out of ten art graduates were overqualified for their current roles.

The report also found that Oxbridge graduates were three times more likely to end up in academic jobs than those who studied at more recently established institutions.

Mr Denham commented: 'There are certainly young people who currently go to university who would have been better off on an advanced apprenticeship.'

Last month Conservative leader David Cameron said his party would be prepared to offer £2,000 to every small to medium-sized business whose employees completed an apprenticeship.