Cost of apprentices

SIR – I read Ivan Menezes’s article on apprentices (Business, November 25) with interest, as I own a small hairdressing salon in Gateshead which is fairly typical of those in main streets throughout Britain.

Until recent changes to the funding for apprentices, our staff trained youngsters in our salon – but the new government levy is too costly for us. Previously we trained (with Gateshead College) as many as three apprentices at a time, and they went on to full employment. Now this is impossible.

The effect of the levy, noted by Mr Menezes, is that there has been a 59 per cent drop in the number of apprentices starting this programme. This has been our experience.

The situation is aggravated by the current VAT system, which restricts the growth of hairdressing salons. Victoria Clare Crawford

Gateshead