Apprenticeships are increasingly seen as “a viable alternative” to degree courses, an IMechE spokesman said, after a survey showed positive public attitudes to the apprentice career route.

In a poll of more than 2,000 people, 58% said they believe that skilled apprenticeships offer more secure job prospects than a university education.

This comes after the Government announced plans for a technical education system “on a par” with the UK’s academic system.

Despite the positive view of apprenticeships, the survey revealed concerns over the lack of information about the technical and vocational career paths that schools offer.

Of those polled, 56% believe that school careers advice is not good enough to enable students to make informed decisions about their futures, with only 18% believing that schools offer the right advice.

Peter Finegold, the IMechE’s (www.imeche.org) head of education and skills, said: “Apprenticeships are increasingly being seen as a viable alternative to the well-trodden route of a university education, particularly given the financial burden of gaining a degree.

"However, much more needs to be done to champion the opportunities that vocational careers can offer and to overcome the cultural prejudices that parents might have.

“For those students who do not have engineers in their family, or who come from parts of the country without an engineering heritage, we need to embed within their schooling experience how fulfilling engineering can be and broaden their exposure to what engineers do on a day-to-day basis, and the creative and conceptual skills they require.”