Training providers, such as the Association of Employment and Learning Providers (AELP), say that apprenticeships need to be marketed better to employers if more young people are going to benefit from them.

The call comes as figures from the Department for Education reveal young adults are struggling to gain a foothold in the labour market, with the numbers of young people not in education, employment or training (NEET) rising by more than 100,000 on the previous year to nearly one in six of 16-24-year-olds.

AELP, which represents the training organisations who train 75% of apprentices in England, says that not enough employers in the country know how apprenticeships can benefit their businesses, which limits the number of young people being offered places on the programmes after they have finished their GCSEs.

AELP is urging the government’s National Apprenticeship Service (NAS) to work with providers to persuade more employers that apprenticeships represent an excellent investment with real returns for their business.

England has a lower proportion of apprentices in the workforce compared with France and Germany, and AELP wants to see a new marketing campaign emphasising why businesses cannot afford not to invest in apprenticeships, especially when the government can help meet the employer’s costs.