SkillsActive, the sector skills council for active leisure, has raised concerns with a number of findings from an independent study of vocational education published earlier this month.

The Wolf Review - carried out by Professor Alison Wolf of King's College London - said that up to 400,000 young people were studying courses with "little value". Other findings contained within the research claimed that the value-for-money of the Young Apprenticeship programme was questionable, as well as a lack of progression to post-16 Apprenticeships.

SkillsActive has now urged the Department of Education to look at the successful aspects of Young Apprenticeships to help guide the reform of the 14-19-year-old schemes. The sector skills council also said that the Young Apprenticeships programme will also help to fulfil the skills requirement across the active leisure sector ahead of the 2012 Games.

SkillsActive chief executive Stephen Studd said: "While there are areas to commend in the report, we cannot accept the points that Professor Wolf makes about Young Apprenticeships. "Young Apprenticeships open up young people's eyes to the world outside the classroom and can give them a renewed sense of purpose to their education and what they can do when they finish school.

"Apprenticeships allow young people to learn from the people that will one day hire them. Without Apprenticeships, this vital connection between education and employment will be lost. "In order to fulfil the skills requirements in our sector, up to and beyond the 2012 Olympics, Young Apprenticeships require continued investment and support in order for businesses to thrive and for young apprentices to grow."