The UK employment market is set to further strengthen in 2014, with the CBI stating the UK economy will grow more than 2.4% and that over half of employers are seeking new blood, according to a survey of 325 organisations employing one million people by the CBI employers’ group. This marks the first time that more companies are creating jobs than not since the global recession hit in 2008.

The news should be particularly welcome to graduates; according to The Guardian, the latest research reveals that some of the country's biggest and best-known employers, including Google, British Airways, John Lewis, the police and the civil service, will be seeking 18,264 graduates this year, an increase of 8.7% compared with 2012.

Despite encouraging growth in the market, there is still fierce competition for Britain's brightest – accordingly, graduate recruitment programmes tend to be incredibly well-polished and as a result attract sustained investment. The Association of Graduate Recruiters’ Winter 2013 survey of its members determined that marketing spend per member for 2011-2012 was £88,750 and for 2012-2013 was predicted at £87,000.

Now compare the proportion of your own recruitment efforts between graduates and apprentices. Notice a gulf? If so, you wouldn't be alone.

Apprentices are worth an estimated £4.4 billion to the economy each year, there are more operating than ever before (860,000 in 2012-13) and the government states they will form the 'backbone of Britain's economy'. 

So why isn't this talent stream receiving the same care, attention and investment as its more illustrious graduate counterpart?

The answer put forward by some is that apprentices are still viewed as an inferior candidate to graduates. There is an undeniable and lingering perception that apprentices are still suited for blue-collar jobs and that graduates are more academic, or even intelligent. However, many major employers in demanding industries don't believe this is the case and an increasing number of smaller businesses are coming to the realisation that apprentices can be a superb, cost-effective business enabler.

Being keen observers of the recruitment market, we have actually identified a more obvious reason as to why apprentice recruitment is lagging behind that of graduates: put simply, not enough companies are confident in conducting it properly. While graduate schemes have been around for many, many years, the notion of putting together a comprehensive, well-defined apprenticeship programme is a relatively new one.

For those wishing to capitalise on the largely untapped talent stream, questions abound. Where to source potential apprentices from becomes an issue (the equivalent of a graduate fair is off the table), as does assessing and selecting candidates (as traditional tests will prove less effective).

We're interested to hear your thoughts on apprenticeship programmes: Are they as good as they should be, and do they deserve more care and attention?