MOLE Valley is one of the worst areas in the country to try to join a business as an apprentice, the Advertiser can reveal.
Companies in the district recruited the lowest number of apprenticeships in Surrey in the 2011-12 financial year.
According to figures released by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, the number of apprentices taken on in the district stood at 360, the lowest figure in the county and in the bottom ten of districts across England.
The revelation comes as hundreds of young people in the district consider their futures after receiving A-level and GCSE results last month.
The disappointing figure shows Mole Valley businesses took on ten times fewer new apprentices than the country's leading district, Richmond in Yorkshire, which recorded 3,670. The only areas taking on fewer apprentices than Mole Valley district were all in London, with the lowest in the country being Chelsea and Fulham, at just 220.
Samantha Taylor, personnel manager for Dorking-based manufacturer Johnston Sweepers, told the Advertiser the location of her company made use of apprenticeship schemes all the more important.
She said: "As a large employer within the area, we have found it difficult on occasions to find the right skills within a commutable distance and so 'growing our own' talent and investing in creating these skill-sets is of strategic importance to our organisation.
"Johnston Sweepers has been consistently running apprenticeship schemes for many years for mechanical engineers, and more recently for welders and fabricators."
Andy Bircher, corporate head of service at Mole Valley District Council, put the figure down to the number of suitable businesses operating within the council's area of responsibility.
He said: "The council is committed to supporting its business partners and businesses throughout the district to help strengthen the local economy.
"One such method open to Mole Valley businesses, and indeed the council, is to employ apprentices for additional support.
"I think it is important to put the 2011-12 apprentice figures for the district into perspective.
"Mole Valley is a small rural district which, despite supporting a strong business community, has a relatively small number and size of business when compared to other areas nationally and in Surrey.
"This fact is reflected in the relatively low uptake in apprenticeships which, it should be stressed, is the decision of the individual business whether to take that step or not."
