Major plans to create an institute of technology in Birmingham could see the available in the city triple.
The move would see seven colleges across Birmingham and Solihull working with the region’s universities to offer the apprenticeships and comes as part of a shake-up of further education.
In the 2014/15 academic year, 12,490 young people started apprenticeships in Birmingham and Solihull, according to Government figures.
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Now further education chiefs have pledged to triple that number over the next five years through the Institute, with and Greater Birmingham & Solihull helping to sign businesses up to offer more apprenticeships.
The colleges working together to create the Institute, which will open in September 2017, are , , Solihull College, South & City College Birmingham, Cadbury Sixth Form College, Joseph Chamberlain College and The Sixth Form College Solihull.
, described the news as “an exciting development” for businesses and students alike.
“There will be a three-fold increase in apprenticeships,” he said, adding that a site for the institute had yet to be earmarked.
“I think apprenticeships are critical for the region’s students and businesses.
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“For students, it’s a question of offering them more choice.
“Nowadays students are having to take out loans of up to £50,000 to fund their way through degrees.
“With apprenticeships they could potentially earn that while getting on-the-job training and coming out with the same qualification.
“For businesses it means they can train people to acquire the skills that they really need, which many say they are finding is currently lacking.”
However, he admitted there needed to be a “change in attitudes” towards apprenticeships.
“It’s a challenge to get parents particularly to realise the value of apprenticeships,” he said.
“They often have preconceptions and old-fashioned views of .
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“But the rules of the game have changed and it is important that colleges work together to raise the profile of apprenticeships and the opportunities available to the next generation of our workforce.”
His comments come after Education Secretary Nicky Morgan last month pledged to tackle “outdated snobbery” towards apprenticeships through the introduction of a new law requiring schools to allow access to apprentice providers and colleges.
Ms Morgan said the Government wanted to “level the playing field”, making sure young people were “aware of all the options open to them”.
Under the plans to end the “second class” perception of technical and professional education, schools would be required to give equal airtime to the non-academic routes pupils can take post-16, the Department for Education said.