As student and graduates swarm out of higher education colleges and universities this summer, they are faced with a stark question.

What next?

Many will continue in education but for others it is time to hunt for that all-important first job.

Apprenticeships have been undergoing a resurgence in recent years with many companies now offering them, shifting the image away from the 1980s stereotype of this path being open only to would-be plumber or carpenters.

Luxury car manufacturers, major financial services firms and construction groups are all places where educated and curious young minds can forge a career path via an apprenticeship.

But what do employers in the West Midlands offer by way of apprenticeships? What would they like to see done to boost the sector and how do they view the changing workplace?

We gathered together the views of nine employers in the West Midlands - both big and small - to gauge their take on the sector.

Do you have any graduate/apprenticeship recruitment programmes?

PwC, the 'big four' financial services firm employs around 1,600 staff in the Midlands across three offices, the vast majority of which are in Birmingham. Not traditionally associated with apprenticeships, PwC and many of its peers are now embracing them.

It has places for school and college leavers, offer 'flying-start degree programmes' and has recently launched a new technology apprenticeship degree with the University of Birmingham.

Staffordshire housing provider Aspire Housing says ten per cent of its workforce is made up of 16 to 18-year-old apprentices while famous bathroom brand, Nuneaton-based Triton Showers, makes a "number of roles" available across its various departments which currently employ 350 staff.

Jaguar Land Rover, one of the UK's biggest car brands and a major West Midlands employer, is synonymous with apprenticeships, having taken on 1,500 graduates and 930 apprentices in the last six years.

BAM Construct UK, which has carried out some major projects across the region and in particular in Birmingham city centre, has a five per cent Club Charter whereby more than five per cent of its workforce is enrolled on formal apprenticeships, sponsored student and/or graduate development schemes.

The firm, which employs 250 staff across the Midlands, is also launching a new construction higher/degree apprentice programme and is taking advantage of the apprentice levy to upskill a number of existing employees.

Novus Property Solutions
Novus Property Solutions

Even law firms are getting in on the act as Gowling WLG in Birmingham plans to hire up to 18 new legal apprentices to start in September 2017.

They will all follow the paralegal apprenticeship programme over two years and will be placed across a number of teams.

It builds on a successful pilot programme launched in September 2015 when four apprentices joined the practice's real estate team.

Stoke-based Novus Property Solutions, which has more than 850 staff including 190 in north Staffordshire, has an apprenticeship programme spanning eight decades.

Five of its six current management board members, including the two joint managing directors, started their careers at Novus as either apprentices or trainees.

"This is proof that the programme does work." Novus said.

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HORIBA MIRA, the Nuneaton-based tester, works in fields such as advanced engineering and research and has around 570 staff, mainly in the Midlands.

It recruit apprentices in areas such as vehicle environmental and aerodynamic testing through to business areas such as marketing.

It said: "It is a varied offer based on business need (and our) scheme helps engineering graduates from across the world to gain a foothold in the engineering industry."

What one thing should be done, either regionally or nationally by councils and governments - including LEPs - to improve the quality of skills in the workplace to boost productivity?

Sinéad Butters, Aspire Housing's chief executive, does not mince her words.

"There are some big issues that need to be addressed around basic literacy and numeracy," he says.

"We also need to recognise not everyone will be academically minded and therefore we need to ensure there are sufficient incentives in place for business to help support the social mobility of all people."

Sinéad Butters, chief executive of Aspire Housing
Sinéad Butters, chief executive of Aspire Housing

HORIBA MIRA is sanguine, saying there is no one solution but "linking funding to identified sector specific industry skills is vital".

The forthcoming MIRA Technology Institute is a partnership between HORIBA MIRA, North Warwickshire & Hinckley College, Coventry University, Loughborough University and the University of Leicester.

"Educating employers, parents and teachers about what apprenticeships are is key," the company said.

Caitroina McCusker, higher education lead for PwC in the Midlands, says productivity and skills are at the forefront of the economic growth agenda and nowhere is this more the case than in the West Midlands.

"The current skills system is not delivering the skills that businesses or the economy needs," she adds.

"Skills shortages consistently top the list of concerns of business leaders in our annual Global CEO survey, while the lack of powers over skills is a concern for regional leaders."

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Is enough being done by the Government to encourage and promote apprenticeships?

Based in Newcastle-under-Lyme, Martec Training and Education specialises in the delivery of apprenticeships and vocational training through NVQs.

Director Tracey Marson-Holland says: "Thanks to the new apprenticeship levy, employers across Staffordshire are contributing to raising standards and opportunities for young people.

"Getting school leavers in the UK 'job ready' is vital if we are to tackle the skills shortage that the UK is facing.

"I would like to see the Government providing extra support to careers advisers in schools to enable more time and better emphasis on the advantages of apprenticeships.

"This would be a very positive step forward."

Tracey Marson-Holland, director at Martec Training and Education
Tracey Marson-Holland, director at Martec Training and Education

Jaguar Land Rover said it welcomed the Government's commitment to increasing training and technical education but the Chancellor's announcement of £445 million for T-levels for 16 to 19 year olds by 2021/22 accounts for just 1.1 per cent of the £40 billion education and skills budget.

"We believe the Government has made a good start but these measures should be backed up with the right levels of investment to succeed and create parity of esteem with academic routes," it added.

"Needless to say, access to skilled talent is crucial if Jaguar Land Rover is to achieve its future growth potential."

Chris Jones, director of learning and development with BAM Construct, echoed others when he said there was a need for much better career advice so young people could make informed decisions.

"Having embarked upon a particular qualification route, there must be clear progression available within an area for young people to continue along this route to its natural conclusion," he adds.

"There should be a regional approach with more collaboration between clients and contractors to provide the range of experience needed by apprentices to complete their qualifications."

Triton Showers' managing director David Tutton said investment in grants for apprenticeships and schemes offering valuable insight into the world of work could help build a strong workforce for the future.

David Tutton, managing director of Triton Showers
David Tutton, managing director of Triton Showers

"Some students receive minimal careers advice in schools, so forging better links between industry, the education profession and local government representatives is just one way to ensure school leavers' skills continue to match business needs," he added.

Stuart Seddon, chairman at Novus Property Solutions, said that, in order to boost productivity, it was essential skills training in the workplace remained grounded in practical application of the training.

"Therefore, the Government needs to continue its financial support of training programmes for operational and manual skills. Without this, some crafts such as professional painting, may well be lost to technology," he predicted.

"While I support the movement to technology, it cannot be at the detriment of the vast skills in various crafts that we have."

How do you see the workplace of 2050, not just from your own company's perspective, but the UK in general?

John Tracey, head of people, for PwC in the Midlands doesn't hold back in his assessment.

"If the trends established by the millennial generation continue, people will want more flexibility in how and when they work, and will want jobs that involve skilled work and attract higher pay," he said.

"Technology will be a huge driver for change. The pace of that change will only accelerate and change always brings opportunity.

"The successful workforce of 2050 will be excited by the prospect of change and will be equipped with the technology and other skills needed to participate in a rapidly changing society."

John Tracey, head of people for PwC in the Midlands
John Tracey, head of people for PwC in the Midlands

Stuart Seddon from Novus expects to see a much more flexible approach to the workplace in the future.

"I believe this approach in turn would also see the decline in the traditional Monday to Friday, nine to five working pattern," he says.

"This is already starting to be seen by the 'gig' economy and I feel will only grow, once certain legal challenges, such as those faced by Uber, are finalised.

"With regards to the construction industry, the future is going to be about innovation - I'm excited to see what the future holds."

Aspire Housing's Sinéad Butters says the company's core aims won't change but the way it conducts business will.

"We'll see less people working from a central office and more people working from their own homes or chosen locations. We'll see driverless cars making commuting to our offices much easier," she said.

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What would you like to see done to promote apprenticeships?

HORIBA MIRA says the changes are already being seen today as is the culture surrounding long-term employment which previous generations saw.

"Technology already means it is not uncommon to work via Skype with colleagues across the world and this will only increase," the firm said.

"The culture of a career for life has gone so we would expect to have a more transient workforce, meaning employers have to increase their incentives to keep staff or adapt their operating processes to allow for it."

BAM Construct UK's Chris Jones warns that his sector has become very dependent on migrant labour, something he describes as not sustainable.

"We must recruit and train people from within the UK so that, by 2050, the core of the workforce across all industries is home based. The workforce of 2050 will be very different from today’s workforce," he says.

Tracey Marson-Holland from Martec is hopeful the trend of running apprenticeship programmes will continue in 2050, adding: "Preserving manual craftsmanship and developing specialised skill sets, the workplace of 2050, through their ongoing apprentice in-takes, will have a workforce that provides levels of expertise that technology cannot replicate."

David Tutton from Triton Showers is expecting consumer demands to change significantly over the next 33 years, meaning the company must remain dynamic.

Chris Jones, director of learning and development for BAM Construct UK
Chris Jones, director of learning and development for BAM Construct UK

"We will continue to focus on the development of our factory facilities in the UK which have been central to Triton's business for decades.

"Engaging with new technologies, such as predictive maintenance, 3D modelling and printing, will also ensure we continue to deliver market leading product innovation."

"In years to come, if today's generation of millennials is any indication, there will be a growing demand for social consciousness too."

Jaguar Land Rover says we are in the midst of another industrial revolution which is shaping our future work practices.

"Decarbonisation, air quality, digitalisation, connectivity, automation and globalisation are driving an industrial revolution bigger and faster than the last," the manufacturer said.

"What used to take 50 years to change is now happening in five years.

"New ownership models, higher population demand, and wealth and consumption mean global annual car sales are expected to grow to 74 million in 2020 and up to 100 million by 2030."