A-levels - Top firms offer training that is ‘as good as a degree’ in bid to attract school-leavers put off university by the hike in tuition fees

Top employers are beefing up school-leaver programmes by offering training they say is as good a start to a career as a degree. As this summer’s A-levels results revealed another record year of passes, and prospective students face rising tuition fees in 2012, university is no longer the default option for many sixth formers, and companies are seeking to position their professional training or apprenticeship programmes as a real alternative for high-achieving young people.