2014 The year of the apprentice - #reedjobindex

2014 The year of the apprentice - #reedjobindex by Michael Cheary When you think about 2014, what comes to mind?The rise of wearable tech? Royal siblings? Another disappointing summer for British football/rugby/cricket (delete as appropriate)? Well, as our latest figures suggest, you may have overlooked one important factor â€" apprenticeships.According to data from the reed.co.uk Job Index (which tracks the number of new job opportunities and the current salaries on offer), the volume of apprenticeships available has increased by 93% something largely attributed to government incentives over the last 12 months, introduced to make schemes more readily available.Encouragingly, the sectors showing the biggest increases seem to go beyond the traditional trades associated with apprenticeships.   Retail leads the way, with a 288% increase in apprenticeship vacancies, followed by business and administration (+131%), and technology (+59%).Job vacancies overall have also risen over the last 12 months, with a 27% increase year-on- year â€" 3% higher than official employment figures from the Office of National Statistics.The sectors creating the most job opportunities in 2014 were Transport and Logistics (+63%), Construction (+59%) and Manufacturing (+50%).For the second consecutive year, the reed.co.uk Job Index also revealed that the jobs market favours active jobseekers. Growth in new vacancies (+27% year on year) is outpacing job applications (+20% year on year).Commenting on the latest figures, James Reed, Chairman of reed.co.uk, said:“Overall, 2014 has been an encouraging year for jobs. We’ve seen the total number of vacancies advertised reach a six year high, whilst there has been a return to growth in salaries across key sectors, driven in large parts by widely reported skills gaps in industries including engineering, technology and scientific research.Another notable feature of the job market in 2014 is the rapid rise in apprenticeships as employers recognise the value of building a skilled, home- grown workforce. With an election only six months away, the pressure is on the major political parties to ensure their proposed policies support a healthy and flourishing job market.