Firms 'turning to apprenticeships' to plug skills gaps

Job prospects for young people are improving as firms try to fill skills gaps, the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development suggests.

Research by the CIPD found a jump in the number of firms planning to hire more apprentices and school-leavers.

A survey of more than 1,000 companies found that half were taking measures to boost the skills of their workforce in response to recruitment difficulties.

A third were looking to take on more apprentices, the survey indicated.

Gerwyn Davies, labour market analyst for the CIPD, told Today: "The underlying factor is that the jobs market is very strong, that's forcing more employers to look at a wider range of applicants."

He added that young people had fared worse than other age groups over the past decade, so there was an element of catch-up, but also that employers wanted to address their future skills needs.

In a statement, he said: "After a long, dark decade, the prospects for young people are finally looking brighter."