Whether young people are destined to be contractors or other professionals, apprenticeships are becoming increasingly significant in bringing them into the world of work, one expert has said.

Tom Hadley, the Recruitment and Employment Confederation's (REC) director of policy and professional services said that apprenticeships help young people to develop skills that will give them a significant advantage in the job market.

"Businesses also stand to gain a competitive edge by bringing enthusiastic apprentices with fresh ideas into their companies," he added.

These comments mark National Apprenticeship Week, running from February 7th to the 11th.

This comes after the Trade Union Congress general secretary Brendan Barber said that with the economy failing even before the spending cuts and increase in VAT kicks in, the chancellor must admit that his policies have failed.

He said that a plan B is desperately needed to improve employment levels among contractors and other professionals.