Over 25-year-olds accounted for the biggest hike in apprenticeships in Bath and North East Somerset fuelling fears that youngsters are missing out.

It came as ministers hailed the “unprecedented growth” in apprenticeships as take-up continued to rise.

Finalised figures show the number of trainee places being created in the authority area rose last year to 1,030 from 680 in 2009/10 – a 52 per cent increase.

But of the 350 rise in start-ups in 2010/11, 280 came in the 25 plus age range.

The number of start-up apprenticeships in this category soared by 255 per cent over the period from 110 to 390.

Much more modest increases were seen in the under 19 and 19-24 age groups of 10 (four per cent) to 270, and 60 (19 per cent) to 370 respectively.

A recent report by the spending watchdog the National Audit Office said apprenticeships had expanded by 140 per cent over a four-year period from 2006/7, with over 25-year-olds accounting for two thirds of the increase.

Labour’s Shadow Skills Minister Gordon Marsden claimed this older age group included those already in training which had been rebadged as apprenticeships “in pursuit of crude targets”.

He added: “They are not giving enough attention to under 25s.”

But Skills Minister John Hayes insisted the government was focusing its drive on young people.

He said: “We have had unprecedented growth. This is the biggest number of apprenticeships in modern history.”

Mr Hayes is hoping the work-based training schemes will become as valuable in the jobs market as a university degree.

So-called higher apprenticeships, which are the equivalent of the first year degree, are on the rise, he said, while companies including accountancy giant Pricewaterhouse Coopers have set up apprenticeships schemes alongside the traditional graduate programme.

He also hinted at a forthcoming announcement linked to the banking industry.

The NAO report urged the Government to set its sights higher to get better value from the millions of pounds it is spending on adult apprenticeships.

The National Audit Office (NAO) said adult apprenticeships offered a good return of around £18 for every £1 of public spending, although it added: “...this has had to assume that none of the training would have happened in the absence of public support”.

While it the programme was well co-ordinated and better managed than the previous Train to Gain scheme, said the NAO, it added that the Business Department could significantly improve value for money by targeting resources on areas where the greatest economic returns can be achieved.