YOUNG people who train as plumbers have a better chance of

securing a good job than those studying maths, law and history at university, according to parents.

A survey of more than 3,500 mothers and fathers found concerns that school leavers taking large numbers of degrees courses were “not very employable”.

The study found that parents believed apprenticeships in plumbing gave young people a better chance of a job than many degrees. This includes those in maths, history, law, media studies, foreign languages, social science and English.

But the report, from the education charity Edge and the City & Guilds Group, revealed a “disconnect” between parental perceptions of employment prospects and their children's education, with most still wanting sons and daughters to go to university.

Experts claimed it emphasised the extent to which pupils were automatically pushed into an academic education with little opportunity to learn a trade.

Chris Jones, chief executive of City & Guilds, which sets vocational qualifications, said: "Time and time again, parents are shown to have the most influence on young people. But parents just don't know enough about all the different career options available.

"That's why it's not surprising that so many of them want their children to go to university; for too long, it was portrayed as the best and only route to success.

"Young people need the opportunity to explore their options and discover exactly what route is right for them – whether it's an apprenticeship, going straight into employment or pursuing a degree."

The study asked parents to rate children’s chances of getting a job with certain vocational qualifications and apprenticeships – and then compared them to degrees.

Some 57 per cent of parents said a plumbing qualification would make children “very employable” compared with 53 per cent for those taking law degrees and 48 per cent for a maths degree. Numbers were as low as eight per cent for history degrees, nine per cent for media studies, 12 per cent for social sciences, 22 per cent for English and 33 per cent for foreign languages.

Many other vocational qualifications scored higher than some degrees, with parents claiming 51 per cent of parents claiming an IT course made their children highly employable. Numbers stood at 44 per cent for automotive engineering and 43 per cent for construction.