STATISTICS show the number of apprenticeship vacancies in Somerset has significantly increased over the last year.

Apprenticeship vacancies posted online on the apprenticeship vacancies website were up 30% between August and October 2014 compared to the same period the previous year.

The data also revealed a 28% increase in vacancies advertised online nationally in the same period.

The greatest number of online vacancies was for Business, Administration and Law apprenticeships (18,940), while Health, Public Services and Care apprenticeships saw the biggest rise in vacancies year on year with an increase of 50%.

Noticeable rises were also seen in the number of apprenticeship vacancies within the vital STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) fields.

Apprenticeship vacancies advertised online in Engineering and Manufacturing Technologies and Information and Communication Technology both recorded a 23% rise on the same period last year.