Men are twice as likely to be encouraged to take on an apprenticeship as women, according to new research from the City & Guilds Group.

“At school, I was actively dissuaded from taking an apprenticeship and pushed towards university to study teaching,” she explained. “The only person that gave me advice about apprenticeships was my friend who had taken a hairdressing apprenticeship. But that wasn’t appealing to me as I was more interested in business qualifications, so I struggled to find the right advice. I would have benefited from more comprehensive careers advice during school, as in my experience they tended to fall back on outdated stereotypes. It’s definitely important that girls and boys understand the full range of career opportunities available to them.’