The South West offers the brightest long-term career prospects for apprentices according to a new survey, but a local training provider says it is struggling to fill more than 100 Westcountry roles.
City & Guilds has said the South West is the best region for ex-apprentices to reach a board-level position, with one of five of individuals who take this route into work ending up in the board room.
More than half of firms have said the average time for an apprentice to reach a management position in their business was five years or less.
But the Plymouth-based Skills Group has said it is 'struggling' to fill more than 100 apprenticeship vacancies across Devon and Cornwall, despite high unemployment.
It currently has 111 vacancies across Devon and Cornwall in everything from construction and business to hair and childcare and says employers are 'crying out' for willing youngsters aged 16-18 to apply.
Jeff Hughes, senior site supervisor at Plymouth-based Contour Brickwork Services Ltd, said the company was having difficulty in finding enough workers to support building projects throughout Devon and Cornwall.
He said: "We are really stretched. And with the forthcoming Sherford Valley development, there are three contractors for the site and each has to build 80 houses in a year. That is adding to what is already pressure of finding good quality construction workers."
Fittingly, according to City & Guilds the construction industry offers the most likely route up the career ladder, with almost half of firms within the sector numbering an ex-apprentice on its board.
It said manufacturing, engineering, agriculture and energy companies also employ above-average numbers of senior staff who began their careers as apprentices.
Youngsters must now stay in some form of education or training until they turn 18, but it's thought that some may be unaware that workplace-based training in the form of an apprenticeship could offer an alternative to school.
Skills Group Plymouth managing director Mark Boulting said: "This is the best opportunity youngsters have had to get apprenticeships that we've seen since the recession.
"The problem is that a lot of young people are staying on at school because they don't realise that there are the opportunities for jobs within training or apprenticeships.
"We have positions across the board, construction being just one of them. There are so many vacancies but we're finding that young people are just not applying for them."
City & Guilds chief executive Chris Jones said: "Apprenticeships provide employers with the workforce of the future.
"Apprentices add value from day one not just through their skills, but through their enthusiasm and drive."
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