Cumbria is offering some of the highest numbers of apprenticeships in the UK, according to Government figures.

Ten per cent of the region's young workforce are now in the training programmes.

The figures are part of a national analysis which looked at 16 and 17-year-olds in education and training.

According to the data, released by the Department for Education, Cumbria is second only to the city of Derby, which scored 11 per cent.

George Beveridge, chairman of Cumbria Local Enterprise Partnership, said: “Investment in developing the key skills of our future workforce is an integral driver in our strategy to become one of the fastest growing economies in the UK and to create 15,000 jobs in Cumbria by 2024. 

“These figures underline how our local authority partners, training providers and employers are working together to get more young people into education, employment or training as a whole, and apprenticeships in particular. 

“Strategic workforce planning is a major consideration in the overall process too, because we need to ensure that there are appropriate full-time roles for apprentices to move into once their training is completed.”