Cutting red tape and introducing funding to introduce apprenticeships to grow talent is crucial to boost UK skills, according to Network Rail.

Professor Alison Wolf, the government’s adviser on reforming vocational education for under 19s, told the Financial Times that public funds should be made available to train young apprentices.

Responding to her comments, a Network Rail spokesperson told Recruiter: “Apprenticeships are now more widely recognised by young people as a path to a successful career, but if business is to drive economic growth through job creation, we must invest in our people and government needs to provide the right support to do this.

“Getting rid of red tape and having a funding system that encourages businesses to deliver high quality apprenticeship schemes for people of all ages is crucial in enabling the private sector to strengthen the nation’s workforce skills.”

Caroline Bellenger, HR director, Macdonald Hotels & Resorts, also told Recruiter that a government-funded apprenticeship scheme would really focus businesses into delivering a structured training programme for young people, while raising the skill set and standards across all sectors involved.

“Apprenticeships equip trainees with recognised vocational qualifications, so anything that engages those starting out in their career and trains them to a recognised high standard is a positive.

“Macdonald Hotels & Resorts have a responsibility to make hospitality an attractive place to work that offers a dynamic, exciting work environment with career progression. As part of this, we already work with Skills Development Scotland and currently have 78 apprenticeships in Scotland gaining recognised vocational qualifications across all areas of the business including professional cookery and hospitality management.”

Meanwhile Vic Chuntz, chief executive of recruitment-to-recruitment consultancy Aston Taylor, told Recruiter the UK’s recruitment industry is just one of many UK business sectors struggling with severe skills shortages.

“We’re aware of over 800 live vacancies for recruiters at all levels, throughout the UK. Many of these positions are for entry-level trainees, where the primary qualification is the right attitude and ideally, at least some exposure to the recruitment world.

“The attrition rate for trainees is still very high; 70% of trainee recruiters do not make it past their probation – frustrating for the trainee and incredibly expensive for the company.

“Often this is because the trainee has no idea of what the job is reallyabout and this is an area I believe an apprenticeship scheme could help. Aston Taylor’s Training Academy is open to people from the local universities and schools to help them to decide if recruitment is a possible career choice.”