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More Young People Not Working Or Studying

One in six 16 to 24-year-olds are not studying, working or in training amid fears young people have been hit hardest by job losses.

Recent job figures also suggest 20% of 16 to 24-year-olds are jobless
Department for Education statistics show 979,000 people in this age range were classified as "Neets" - those not in education, employment or training - between April and June.

That is 107,000 more than the same time of year in 2010 and 126,000 more than five years ago. It is the highest figure for April to June since 2006.

Unemployment among 16 to 24-year-olds rose slightly at the start of this year, with 20.2% out of work. Putting young people on the dole is a waste of money and a waste of their potential.
Shadow education secretary Andy Burnham

The prospects for those at the older end of the age range appear to be worst with 19.1% of 19 to 24-year-olds in this category, compared to 9.8% 16 to 18-year-olds.

The prospects are not much better for school-leavers, with almost one in 10 16 to 18-year-olds not studying, working or in training.
Skills minister John Hayes said: "We're taking action to get our young people into work, helping restore a sense of responsibility and pride in our communities.

"Having built the largest apprenticeships programme our country has seen, we'll now do more to get young people who lack basic skills up to speed."



The Government says it is improving and expanding apprenticeship schemesOfficial figures show the 2008-2009 recession led to an increase in the number of young people who were jobless.
In 2008, the unemployment rate for people this age was 14%. By 2011 it was up a further 6%.

Shadow education secretary Andy Burnham accused the Government of being "far too complacent" about young people and said a generation risks being left behind.

"Putting young people on the dole is a waste of money and a waste of their potential," he said.

"By scrapping Labour's guarantee of an apprenticeship place for young people who want one, scrapping the EMA and cutting careers services, this Government is making it harder for young people to get on - so that for the first time there is a risk that the next generation will do worse than the last."

History of Apprenticeships (From NAS Site)

 

Britain has a long history of Apprenticeships, which stretches back to the guilds of the Middle Ages. In 1563 the system became more prescribed and regulated: the Elizabethan Statute of Artificers set out terms and conditions for training (including a duration of seven years and for the master–apprentice relationship). Apprenticeships expanded in the following two centuries, with new legislation on working conditions, environment and the conduct of apprentices in their leisure time.

Another milestone of legislation was passed in 1802 – the Health and Morals of Apprentices Act, whose provisions included a 12-hour working day and a requirement that factory apprentices were taught reading, writing and arithmetic. These developments led to the repeal of the 1563 Statute in 1814. After that year, practising a skill although un-Apprenticed was no longer illegal. The new act also loosened statutory controls over Apprenticeships, by removing the requirement for a minimum of seven years to be spent on one.

By the late nineteenth century, Apprenticeships had spread from artisan trades such as building and printing to the newer industries of engineering and shipbuilding – and later to plumbing and electrical work. Although there were approximately 240,000 apprentices by the mid 1960s, there were growing concerns about the effectiveness of Apprenticeship training. It was criticised for its exclusivity, for being male-dominated, for focusing on serving time rather than on outcomes, and for a failure to embrace new and expanding occupations. Numbers had decreased to some 53,000 (‘average in learning‘ figure) by 1990 – the decline was exacerbated by rising post-16 participation in full-time education, a lack of public funding for Apprenticeships, and the effect of the Youth Training Scheme and Youth Training programme. These initiatives catered for young people who might otherwise have done an Apprenticeship, but the quality of provision was often questionable and both programmes contributed to a poor perception of vocational training generally.

Since the mid 1990s, governments have been rebuilding the programme in an adjusted economic and institutional context. This has required state support, as has been the case in almost all countries with a sizeable Apprenticeship programme (the level of state intervention in this country has varied over recent decades, from levy-funded programmes via the industrial training boards in the 1960s and 1970s, to no support or intervention at all in the early 1990s). In response to concerns about skills shortages, especially at intermediate levels, in 1993 the Government announced plans for a new Apprenticeship scheme at Level 3 – Modern Apprenticeships. Prototypes were introduced the following year and the scheme became fully operational in 1995. The Modern Apprenticeship was focused almost entirely on occupational competence, and did not require specific technical learning.

Since 1997 a number of the programme elements have been reformed.

• In 1998, the Training Standards Council (subsequently the Adult Learning Inspectorate) began an inspection of work-based learning providers. In 2007, responsibility for inspection was transferred to Ofsted.


• Level 2 Apprenticeships were introduced in 2000.


• In 2000, the LSC took on responsibility for funding Apprenticeships from the Training and Enterprise Councils.


• The technical certificate was introduced in 2003/04 to explicitly require theoretical knowledge from Apprentices (and, implicitly, structured off-workstation training).


• The Apprenticeships family was re-branded in 2004.


• The Apprenticeships blueprint was introduced in 2005 to provide updated guidance for Sector Skills Councils on how to define their Apprenticeship frameworks.

The result of these changes, coupled with the increased investment made by the Government since 1997, has been a major improvement in the number of Apprentices and in the quality of Apprenticeships. There were 279,700 Apprenticeship starts in the 2009/10 academic year in England, compared to 239,900 in 2008/09. Completion rates – which once indicated severe problems with recruitment practice and quality – have been transformed. 171,500 people successfully completed an Apprenticeship in 2009/10 compared to 143,400 in 2008/09; completion rates were 74% in 2009/10 compared to 37% in 2004/05.

In January 2008 a new organisation, the National Apprenticeship Service (NAS), was announced and officially launched in April 2009. The service was created to bring about a significant growth in the number of employers offering Apprenticeships.

The NAS has total end to end responsibility for the delivery of Apprenticeships that includes: Employer Services; Learner Services; and a web-based vacancy matching system (Apprenticeship vacancies). This online system enables individuals to search and apply for live vacancies and allows employers, and their training providers to advertise their vacancies to a wide range of interested applicants.

The service has ultimate accountability for the national delivery of targets and co-ordination of the funding for Apprenticeship places. It acts to overcome barriers to the growth of the programme and assumes responsibility for promoting Apprenticeships and their value to employers, learners and the country as a whole.

School leavers scramble for apprenticeships

Thousands of A-level students awarded top grades today will be waking up to the grim reality in the morning of a dwindling jobs market and fierce competition for university places.

Engineering skills council Semta said technically capable candidates were often lured towards other sectors such as banking.

By Louisa Peacock

Of those who choose to enter the labour market for the first time, the majority will likely struggle to find a decent job. Hundreds of bright young minds face being turned down from their ideal employer because of the sheer scramble for work.

The Government's National Apprenticeship Service website, which lists apprenticeship vacancies, received 691,590 applications from young people for apprenticeships over the past year – a 158pc rise compared with the previous 12 months, figures reveal. The surge in demand is partly linked to fears over rising graduate debt, experts say.

However, just one in eight employers offers the on-the-job training scheme nationwide. In the engineering sector – said to be crying out for more skilled workers – just a quarter of businesses are prepared to hire apprentices.
A flood of recent studies from the CBI, manufacturers' body the EEF and the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) shows companies struggle to recruit appropriate candidates, claiming skills shortages will hamper their ability to grow. According to the CIPD, however, employers should stop moaning about Britons' lack of skills and do something about it.
Katerina Rudiger, the group's skills adviser, said: "Employers tend to complain a lot about skills shortages, saying people don't have the right skills, but employers nationwide need to take on more responsibility for training their own talents She added: "Clearly it's not that people aren't applying to companies – and they can't all be lacking in skills."

Earlier this week, BP became the latest business to claim a dearth of engineers in the UK was threatening to hold back business growth. The oil giant's North Sea boss, Trevor Garlick, told The Sunday Telegraph BP struggled to recruit the right people to fill hundreds of vacancies.
But the company said it was recruiting just 25 apprentices for its North Sea operation this year. BP, which employs about 10,000 staff in the UK, is recruiting up to a further 10 apprentices nationwide and about 150 graduates to plug skills gaps.

Ms Rudiger pointed to the likes of Rolls-Royce and Siemens, which hire "a lot more" apprentices than BP at 200 and 100 per year respectively. Businesses that suffer from skills shortages should consider increasing the volume of young people they recruit to "home-grow talent", she said.
"Apprenticeships are not the panacea to all our skills problems, but are a good alternative to university. Companies should be seeing apprenticeships as part of their workforce planning," she said.

As companies continue to be swamped by applications for their apprenticeship schemes – BT says it has received 19,600 applications so far for about 500 places and Network Rail 8,000 applications for 200 places – Ms Rudiger asks whether more should be done to make the most of those capable young people who lose out.

The call comes as official figures show unemployment surged in the three months to June by almost 40,000, to 2.49m, compared to the previous quarter. One in five young people is out of work.

The CBI suggests larger companies should work with small to medium-sized enterprises to offer their training facilities to help them recruit and develop the staff they need.

Rolls-Royce is already building an apprentice academy in Derby, which will allow the group to hire as many as 200 young people to train for work in its supply chain and the manufacturing industry in the East Midlands.
Other employers, however, say they simply do not have the resources to do something similar. Network Rail, for example, said suppliers were welcome to use its training centre in theory but questioned whether it would have the space.

James Fothergill, head of skills at the CBI, said: "Large employers need some degree of support to make this happen. But research shows across organisations the return employers get from employing an apprentice.
"Big employers should at the very least consider redirecting rejected – but good – candidates towards small firms that desperately needed specific skills but did not attract as many applications in their own right. Good candidates are likely to slip through the net unless they are made aware of different opportunities in industry."

The engineering and manufacturing skills council Semta said technically capable candidates, who had studied engineering, maths or science at A-level, were often lured towards other sectors such as banking rather than working in a role aligned to their qualifications.

Lynn Tomkins, Semta's UK operations director, said that because so many young people were rejected from school-leaver schemes at household-name employers, such as BAE Systems or Dyson, they tended to lose faith in the sector without considering jobs at smaller firms in the supply chain.
Semta is currently running a trial scheme to match skilled workers to employers looking for specific expertise. There is no point urging young people to study engineering-related subjects if, when they apply for positions, they are turned down without knowing where to go next, Ms Tomkins said.

School leavers scramble for apprenticeships

Thousands of A-level students awarded top grades today will be waking up to the grim reality in the morning of a dwindling jobs market and fierce competition for university places.

Engineering skills council Semta said technically capable candidates were often lured towards other sectors such as banking.

By Louisa Peacock

Of those who choose to enter the labour market for the first time, the majority will likely struggle to find a decent job. Hundreds of bright young minds face being turned down from their ideal employer because of the sheer scramble for work.

The Government's National Apprenticeship Service website, which lists apprenticeship vacancies, received 691,590 applications from young people for apprenticeships over the past year – a 158pc rise compared with the previous 12 months, figures reveal. The surge in demand is partly linked to fears over rising graduate debt, experts say.

However, just one in eight employers offers the on-the-job training scheme nationwide. In the engineering sector – said to be crying out for more skilled workers – just a quarter of businesses are prepared to hire apprentices.
A flood of recent studies from the CBI, manufacturers' body the EEF and the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) shows companies struggle to recruit appropriate candidates, claiming skills shortages will hamper their ability to grow. According to the CIPD, however, employers should stop moaning about Britons' lack of skills and do something about it.
Katerina Rudiger, the group's skills adviser, said: "Employers tend to complain a lot about skills shortages, saying people don't have the right skills, but employers nationwide need to take on more responsibility for training their own talents She added: "Clearly it's not that people aren't applying to companies – and they can't all be lacking in skills."

Earlier this week, BP became the latest business to claim a dearth of engineers in the UK was threatening to hold back business growth. The oil giant's North Sea boss, Trevor Garlick, told The Sunday Telegraph BP struggled to recruit the right people to fill hundreds of vacancies.
But the company said it was recruiting just 25 apprentices for its North Sea operation this year. BP, which employs about 10,000 staff in the UK, is recruiting up to a further 10 apprentices nationwide and about 150 graduates to plug skills gaps.

Ms Rudiger pointed to the likes of Rolls-Royce and Siemens, which hire "a lot more" apprentices than BP at 200 and 100 per year respectively. Businesses that suffer from skills shortages should consider increasing the volume of young people they recruit to "home-grow talent", she said.
"Apprenticeships are not the panacea to all our skills problems, but are a good alternative to university. Companies should be seeing apprenticeships as part of their workforce planning," she said.

As companies continue to be swamped by applications for their apprenticeship schemes – BT says it has received 19,600 applications so far for about 500 places and Network Rail 8,000 applications for 200 places – Ms Rudiger asks whether more should be done to make the most of those capable young people who lose out.

The call comes as official figures show unemployment surged in the three months to June by almost 40,000, to 2.49m, compared to the previous quarter. One in five young people is out of work.

The CBI suggests larger companies should work with small to medium-sized enterprises to offer their training facilities to help them recruit and develop the staff they need.

Rolls-Royce is already building an apprentice academy in Derby, which will allow the group to hire as many as 200 young people to train for work in its supply chain and the manufacturing industry in the East Midlands.
Other employers, however, say they simply do not have the resources to do something similar. Network Rail, for example, said suppliers were welcome to use its training centre in theory but questioned whether it would have the space.

James Fothergill, head of skills at the CBI, said: "Large employers need some degree of support to make this happen. But research shows across organisations the return employers get from employing an apprentice.
"Big employers should at the very least consider redirecting rejected – but good – candidates towards small firms that desperately needed specific skills but did not attract as many applications in their own right. Good candidates are likely to slip through the net unless they are made aware of different opportunities in industry."

The engineering and manufacturing skills council Semta said technically capable candidates, who had studied engineering, maths or science at A-level, were often lured towards other sectors such as banking rather than working in a role aligned to their qualifications.

Lynn Tomkins, Semta's UK operations director, said that because so many young people were rejected from school-leaver schemes at household-name employers, such as BAE Systems or Dyson, they tended to lose faith in the sector without considering jobs at smaller firms in the supply chain.
Semta is currently running a trial scheme to match skilled workers to employers looking for specific expertise. There is no point urging young people to study engineering-related subjects if, when they apply for positions, they are turned down without knowing where to go next, Ms Tomkins said.

One In Five Young People Are Now Jobless

One in five young people are now out of work, according to the latest unemployment figures.

Figures released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show a further 15,000 16 to 24-year-olds are now unemployed - a total of 949,000 people or 20.2%.

It comes as the figures show that in the three months from April to June, there was a surprise rise of 38,000 in the total number of unemployed, rising to a total of 2.49m, or 7.9% of the working population.

The number of people claiming benefits also rose, up 37,100 to 1.52m, far exceeding analysts' predictions of a 20,000 rise.
It was the third consecutive monthly rise and the biggest jump since May 2009.

THE STRUGGLE TO TACKLE YOUTH UNEMPLOYMENT

TUC general secretary Brendan Barber said:
“Today’s rise in unemployment points to a worrying deterioration in the UK labour market.
"And with our so-called ‘recovery’ stagnating, all the indicators point to further rises in joblessness.

“The number of vacancies is now down to levels last seen in 2009, while female unemployment is at a 23-year high. As public sector job losses mount, employment prospects for many women are looking bleak.

“It is also worrying to see the unwelcome return of rising youth unemployment, with more than one in five young people currently out of work."

The labour market has been surprisingly robust throughout the financial crisis and employment has risen despite a sluggish economic recovery.

However, recent economic surveys have indicated that firms are scaling back hiring plans, raising doubts about the ability of private companies to make up for public sector jobs losses caused by the government's spending cuts.

On Monday the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) said the UK could see unemployment rising again in the third quarter of the year, according to a survey of over 1,000 employers.

Figures by the body suggest that public sector cuts will outstrip jobs being created in the private sector.

-- Post From My Amazing Wandering iPhone

One In Five Young People Are Now Jobless

One in five young people are now out of work, according to the latest unemployment figures.

Figures released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show a further 15,000 16 to 24-year-olds are now unemployed - a total of 949,000 people or 20.2%.

It comes as the figures show that in the three months from April to June, there was a surprise rise of 38,000 in the total number of unemployed, rising to a total of 2.49m, or 7.9% of the working population.

The number of people claiming benefits also rose, up 37,100 to 1.52m, far exceeding analysts' predictions of a 20,000 rise.
It was the third consecutive monthly rise and the biggest jump since May 2009.

THE STRUGGLE TO TACKLE YOUTH UNEMPLOYMENT

TUC general secretary Brendan Barber said:
“Today’s rise in unemployment points to a worrying deterioration in the UK labour market.
"And with our so-called ‘recovery’ stagnating, all the indicators point to further rises in joblessness.

“The number of vacancies is now down to levels last seen in 2009, while female unemployment is at a 23-year high. As public sector job losses mount, employment prospects for many women are looking bleak.

“It is also worrying to see the unwelcome return of rising youth unemployment, with more than one in five young people currently out of work."

The labour market has been surprisingly robust throughout the financial crisis and employment has risen despite a sluggish economic recovery.

However, recent economic surveys have indicated that firms are scaling back hiring plans, raising doubts about the ability of private companies to make up for public sector jobs losses caused by the government's spending cuts.

On Monday the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) said the UK could see unemployment rising again in the third quarter of the year, according to a survey of over 1,000 employers.

Figures by the body suggest that public sector cuts will outstrip jobs being created in the private sector.

-- Post From My Amazing Wandering iPhone

12 Business Benefits of Apprenticeship Training

Why should my business take on Apprentices or get involved in Apprenticeship training?

Employers taking part in a recent research project about the cost of Apprenticeship training identified a wide range of benefits from Apprenticeship training. While such qualitative assessments of benefits are difficult to value they are nonetheless real and are the fundamental reason why employers were prepared to invest in Apprenticeship training.

The benefits these businesses identified included the following:

1. Apprenticeships allow the business to secure a supply of people with the skills and qualities that the business required and which are often not available on the external job market;


2. Apprenticeships help secure a supply of skilled young recruits - especially important for the replacement of an ageing workforce;


3. Even if external recruitment was possible, Apprenticeships are less expensive to recruit and train than experienced workers hired on the external labour market because of high recruitment costs plus the costs of induction and any necessary training;


4. Apprenticeships contribute to a pool of skilled and certificated employees for the sector from which a company might recruit in the future;


5. They ensure that the supply-chain (i.e. sub-contractors) have a sufficiently skilled workforce;


6. Apprentices tend to stay with the organisation and labour turnover is lower;


7. Apprentices provide a cadre of employees from which to future managers could be selected;


8. Apprenticeship training could increase interest in training amongst other employees;


9. Apprenticeships demonstrate company's commitment to the employee;


10. Apprenticeships are more practical and job-related than other forms of learning;


11. Apprentices can bring new ideas and innovation to the business;


12. A good Apprenticeship scheme could be reflected in an enhanced reputation for the business both within the industry and in the local community.

Extract from: The Net Benefit to Employer Investment in Apprenticeship Training, A Report for the Apprenticeship Ambassadors Network by Chris Hasluck.

Big increase in apprenticeships due to ' striking rise ' in trainees over 25

Research shows apprentices over 25 up from 36,000 to 121,000, but Labour says coalition is failing to focus on key skills

BAe Systems apprentices at work. The Department for Business says it has delivered 'the highest number of apprenticeships this country has ever seen.' Photograph: Guardian

A dramatic increase in apprenticeships – part of a government drive to tackle massive youth unemployment – has been fuelled by a surge in apprentices aged over 25, research shows.

The coalition exceeded its target of creating 203,200 apprenticeships for people over 19 in the 2010-11 financial year, creating 257,000 new apprentices, according to figures released in June. Research by the House of Commons library shows that the increase is due to a "striking rise" in apprentices over 25.

Labour accused the coalition of giving priority to increasing apprenticeships, rather than focusing on skills needed for economic growth.

The analysis reveals a 10% increase in teenage apprentices this year, compared with the academic year which started in September 2009. Teenage apprentices rose from 93,700 to 102,900. There was a 21% rise in apprentices aged 19-24, from 85,100 to 102,800. But the number of apprentices aged over 25 nearly quadrupled, from 36,300 to 121,100. Youth unemployment hit record levels earlier this year, and latest figures show around 917,000 people aged 16-24 are out of work. The research, commissioned by Labour, shows that the biggest increases in apprenticeships are in health and social care and retail.

One of the most dramatic increases was in the "cleaning and support service industry", where 1,930 apprentices were created in the academic year 2010-11, compared with 360 in the previous academic year.

The statistics show a big rise in short-term apprenticeships, but only a small increase in longer-term apprenticeships which create opportunities to specialise and acquire academic qualifications.

Apprentices are paid employees who gain practical skills in the workplace as well as receiving training outside work.

Over the first three-quarters of 2010-11, apprenticeships lasting longer than a year rose by under 2% while those lasting less than a year increased by over 30% on 2009-10.Overall, the proportion of apprenticeships lasting longer than a year dropped from 47% to 41%.Gordon Marsden, shadow further education and skills minister, said: "For all the government's warm words on apprenticeships, these statistics show they haven't got to grips with the task of supporting business and creating an environment in which quality, long-term apprenticeships can flourish and support economic growth."

The opposition claims the growth in older apprentices and the rising number of short apprenticeships conceals the axing of the last government's Train to Gain initiative, which was aimed at improving the skills of existing employees.

Marsden added: "The decline of 6% in the proportion of people doing apprenticeships lasting longer than a year throws real doubt on the government's ability to persuade key sectors such as construction and electrical engineering of the value of apprenticeships – sectors that are vital to our economic recovery and future growth."

Nick Linford, managing director of Lsect, a company which provides advice to collleges and training organisations, said many apprentices over 25 were already in work and enrolled on apprenticeships that last as little as 12 weeks. He said there were doubts about the use of public funding and the quality of apprenticeships and "serious questions about whether the apprenticeship scheme has lost focus and if it's making any impact on our appalling youth unemployment figures".

But a spokesman from the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills said apprenticeships were growing across all age groups and were enabling businesses "to gain the skills they need to grow".

"As well as delivering the highest number of apprenticeships this country has ever seen, the government has raised standards and enabled more apprentices to progress to higher levels. We have also set minimum guided learning hours to ensure that every apprenticeship delivers quality training. We are committed to further reducing bureaucracy to enable more firms from an even greater range of sectors to offer more apprenticeships."

The latest statistics, from the National Apprenticeship Service, show almost 90,000 employers offer apprenticeships to 491,300 workers in England. Companies hiring the most include BT, Capita Group, Tesco and McDonald's.

Apprenticeships - Increased uptake is positive but more needed to meet youth employment challenge, says REC

The REC has today welcomed positive data on the overall uptake of apprenticeships whilst underlining the need to ensure that they provide a genuine route into employments as well as a means of up-skilling existing staff.

The latest figures show that over 250,000 apprenticeships have been created in the 2010/2011 financial year, which exceeds the Coalition Government’s targets. However, this includes a big increase in short-term Apprenticeships – often taken up by those already in employment. Furthermore, a greater number of these positions have gone to the over 25’s, raising concerns about whether the Government is responding effectively to the UK’s youth unemployment crisis.

Commenting on this, Tom Hadley, Director of Policy and Professional Development at the REC said;

“The latest data shows some encouraging trends in terms of the overall take-up and progress has also been made in terms of positioning apprenticeships as a credible alternative to university. However, we need to accelerate the use of apprenticeships as a genuine route into the work of work for young job-seekers.

This was one of the key recommendations of the REC’s Youth Employment Taskforce and the latest statistics do not mask the need for sustained Government action in this area. The recruitment industry can play its part by developing apprenticeships within the sector, and by raising awareness amongst clients and candidates.

“With thousands of A-level students leaving school this week, it is increasingly clear that young people require targeted, focused assistance. This includes practical guidance on the benefits of apprenticeships and on the sectors where job opportunities are most likely to exist both now and in the future. As well as continuing to actively promote the apprenticeship route, the Government must commit to establishing a careers guidance network that is fit for purpose.”

JCB chairman tops list of wealthiest ex-apprentices

Thanks to Caroline Betts for passing this article onto us.  Caroline is a Senior Skills Manager at Essex County Council

City & Guilds hopes ‘skillionaires’ will inspire others to succeed without a degree

A vocational rich list has named the chairman of JCB as the country’s wealthiest ex-apprentice, with a fortune of £2.15 billion.

Sir Anthony Bamford, whose career began with a two-year apprenticeship at Massey Ferguson before he took over the construction equipment company, topped the list of “skillionaires” - Britain’s wealthiest people who have taken apprenticeships or other vocational qualifications.

The rich list was compiled by Philip Beresford, the creator of the annual Sunday Times Rich List, for City & Guilds and WorldSkills 2011, the international skills competition being held in London for the first time in October.

While Sir Anthony’s father founded the company which he now chairs, second place on the list goes to a self-made man: Laurence Graff, the “king of diamonds”.

After leaving school in the East End of London at 14 and becoming an apprentice to a Hatton Garden jeweller, Mr Graff has built a fortune valued at £2 billion.

Last November he broke the record for the world’s most expensive piece of jewellery with the purchase of a £28.8 million pink diamond.

His diamond business is worth £1.7 billion, with the rest of his wealth consisting of homes in Gstaad, London, Cap Ferrat and New York City, a 150-foot yacht, a Stellenbosch vineyard and a £125 million art collection.

Others named in the list include City & Guilds-qualified celebrity chef Jamie Oliver in 33rd place with £106 million, Dragons’ Den star and businesswoman Deborah Meaden with £40 million in joint 63rd place with fashion designer Karen Millen, and Stella McCartney (£15 million).

At 36 years old, Mr Oliver is the youngest of the top 100 vocational millionaires. A fortune of £10 million is required to make it on to the list, with fellow chef Gary Rhodes, another former City & Guilds student, bringing up the rear.

Former engineering apprentices make up 24 of the top 100, while the most represented industries were high tech companies, property and construction, and the leisure industry.

City & Guilds said they hoped the publication of the list would highlight the success of people who did not attend university and inspire young people to achieve.

Chris Jones, director general of City & Guilds, said: “Our latest vocational rich list proves you don’t need a degree to succeed. The list not only celebrates the success of Britain’s leading businessmen and women, but also serves as an inspiration to others to discover their talent and unlock their potential through vocational education and skills training. Many of the contestants at this year’s WorldSkills London event have done just that and I have no doubt that one day we will see some of their names on the list.”

Also on the list in 49th place was Britain’s wealthiest plumber, Charlie Mullins, who founded and runs Pimlico Plumbers and whose wealth is estimated at £55 million. He left school at 15 with no qualifications before taking up an apprenticeship.

“That was a mistake - I should have left at 14,” he said, describing his apprenticeship as the best thing he had ever done. Now his company employs 180 people and has a turnover of £15 million a year.

He said: “Not everyone wants to be a leader or to run a business. But knowing a trade means you can have a job on a stable basis for life, and run your own business if you like. We need tradesmen more than ever, not just pushing towards everybody going to university.”

RICH LIST

The top 10 vocational achievers

1. Sir Anthony Bamford. £2.15 billion. Chairman of JCB. Former apprentice with Massey Ferguson.

2. Laurence Graff. £2 billion. Chairman of Graff Diamonds. Former apprentice with Hatton Garden jeweller.

3. John Caudwell. £1.5 billion. Founder of Phones4U. Former Michelin apprentice.

4. Sir James Dyson. £1.45 billion. Chairman of Dyson. Qualified in industrial design at the Royal College of Art.

5. Sir Terry Matthews. £1.4 billion. Founder of over 80 telecommunications companies. Former Post Office research department apprentice.

6. Jim McColl. £570 million. Chairman and chief executive of Clyde Blowers engineering company. Former apprentice engineer.

7. Trevor Hemmings. £550 million. Leisure tycoon who owned Blackpool Tower and Pontins. Former apprentice bricklayer.

8. Sir David McMurtry. £450 million. Chairman and chief executive of precision engineering company Renishaw. Former apprentice with Rolls- Royce.

9. Sir Arnold Clark. £430 million. Chairman and chief executive of Arnold Clark Motors. Former apprentice shoe designer.

10. Steve Morgan. £400 million. Chairman of Redrow builders. Studied an Ordinary National Diploma in civil engineering at Liverpool Polytechnic.