Electrician courses are 'most popular choice'

Courses for electricians have proved popular with students in the last year

Ever fancied being an electrician? Well you're not alone, it's now the most popular course for City & Guilds students.

In the last year, 97,411 people signed up for courses in the trade.

Social care was the second most popular course with 62,987 students, whilst hairdressing came in third with 47,506 students.

Twenty-one-year-old Lewis is in the second year of his training as an electrician and told Newsbeat: "I'm better with my hands so I thought screwdrivers, drills... that's my kind of environment, rather than heads in books and essays.

"It's getting harder and harder to get into universities so I think what I chose to do was the right decision."

'Opening doors'

Rachel from Bristol studied drama before deciding to change to a vocational course in hairdressing.

She said: "I finished my degree without any real employment direction so I wanted to do something that opened a few doors and had some opportunities in the workplace.

"It was really great to do some active learning.

"You're continually seeing your improvements as you progress and working with people who are skilled with the profession you want to carry on in."

University competition

With the costs of university studies continuing to rise and more and more graduates competing for jobs, vocational training might be more appealing to some students.

There are warnings it will be tougher than ever to get a place at university this year, with the number of people applying up more than 10%.

On top of the high number of applications some universities are also cutting places because they need to save money.

Some universities in England, Scotland and Wales say they'll be offering no clearing places at all.

City & Guilds says that the number of people taking vocational courses with them has gone up by 11% in the past year.

Chris Jones, Director General and Chief Executive of City & Guilds, said: "Growing numbers of people are recognising the value of work-related learning and equipping themselves with the right skills and training they need to succeed and lead in today's fast-paced economy."

Other popular courses last year included construction with 43,474 students and hospitality and catering with 43,335 students.

City & Guilds offers vocational training across the UK and awards more than one million certificates every year.