I WRITE in response to the comments made on the Letters page (Mon, March 7) by Simon Winwood in relation to ‘University not the only answer’ and apprenticeships.

Readers may be interested to know that there has been a significant resurgence of apprenticeships in the past few years, as both young people, their parents and employers recognise their value.

Although seen as a ‘traditional’ mode of training, here at The Bournemouth and Poole College we had a record-breaking year for apprenticeship recruitment with 668 new apprentices and 118 advanced apprentices enrolling during the last academic period.

Apprenticeships are a modern, valuable means of delivering vocational education and training with students working towards nationally recognised and sector specific qualifications.

It is important to note that not every employer will be looking for a degree, and that many value the opportunity to help train someone into their methods of working, and see apprenticeships as a key part of their recruitment strategy.

Readers may also not be aware that there is a Higher Apprenticeship which is equivalent to a degree qualification, and we have a number of trainees at this level in accountancy and engineering, and are looking to develop this level into other vocational areas such as IT.

There is no doubt that apprenticeships have a key role to play in the modern workforce, and we are pleased to help people gain valuable, relevant skills and qualifications that will help them with their career aspirations and future job prospects.

JULIE-ANNE HOULDEY, director of marketing, The Bournemouth and Poole College