A UNIVERSITY education is becoming less important to prospective employers in the region, new research has found.

Sixty-five per cent of small and medium-sized enterprises surveyed in Yorkshire and Humberside believed a degree was increasingly devalued.

And over two-fifths of bosses said they did not consider a degree to be important at all when hiring new staff members.

The figures are from the latest Close Brothers business barometer, a quarterly survey that canvasses the opinion of business owners and managers from a range of sectors across the UK and Ireland.

Regional spokesman Lee Hayes said: "It may not come as a surprise to some that so many local employers think a university education is becoming less valuable.

"Despite the fact the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) recorded the highest level of entrants to UK universities last year, with almost 496,000 students beginning full-time undergraduate courses, the value of third level education is becoming a subject for debate.

"Our statistics seem to suggest that many employers are beginning to give greater recognition to practical, hands-on experience, arguably ahead of academic achievement.

"Given that SMEs account for 99.9 per cent of all private sector businesses and collectively employ 14.4 million people in the UK, it is perhaps time for young people to think differently about their career path.

"Of course it depends on your chosen career, but the skills potential employers are looking for can often be developed in many ways."