The lack of skilled staff to supply the construction industry is exacerbated by the widely held view that vocational training is inferior to conventional academic qualifications. For most young people, and their parents, A levels and a university degree are still perceived as the route to better-paid, white-collar jobs. 

This is despite the fact that vocational courses can point the way to a range of positive career routes, from well-paid, entry-level jobs all the way through to degree apprenticeships and conventional degrees. 

Now, as part of a wider attempt to boost skills training, and give vocational qualifications a higher status, the government is rolling out a new system that has apprenticeships and T levels at its heart. 

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