Apprenticeships are now available at one of the county's premier accountancy firms and business advisers as it becomes the latest company to embrace the route to work.

The 320-staff-strong independent chartered accountants and business advisors Hazelwoods made the announcement as it also revealed the intake of 24 new trainees to its ranks.

Its new apprenticeship scheme will be available from September - just in time to entice those school and college leavers making a decision on their next move.

Susan Golding, HR director at Hazlewoods, said: "With the rising costs of going to university, apprenticeships offer a debt-free, direct route into employment.

"Hazlewoods apprenticeship scheme offers many career development opportunities where trainees will obtain superb experience together with excellent training and development, and support.

"We are very excited about our apprenticeship scheme and the benefits we can offer. Over half of our Partners joined the firm as trainees, which demonstrates what a great career pathway we have."

According to research presented by the Staverton headquartered firm more employers are looking for practical experience, preferably gained from an apprenticeship, rather than a university degree specifically relevant to the role..

In a survey of 1,000 employers, carried out by the Association of Accounting Technicians (AAT) ahead of A-Level results day on Thursday (August 16), 49 per cent said they would prefer to see experience from a relevant apprenticeship or previous position on a candidate's CV, compared to 24 per cent who would prefer to see a relevant degree qualification.

Of those who said they prioritise candidates who have relevant experience from an apprenticeship or previous job, 71 per cent said they prefer it because it shows candidates have demonstrated their skills in a practical setting. Sixty two per cent said it indicated they had a better understanding of the world of work.

Suzie Webb, AAT's director of education and development, said: "Ahead of A-Level results day, we wanted to inform young people about the things employers are looking for, to help them have a clear idea of what they need to consider as they think about their careers.

"Many people still think that having a university degree will be most valued by employers, but our research suggests this is not always the case."