TEACHERS have been given a taste of modern apprenticeships after York chocolate giant Nestlé opened the doors to its factory.

For the first time ever teachers in the city were invited to swap their classrooms to shadow apprentices at Nestlé's factory in Haxby Road.

The initiative, which is part of Nestlé's support for National Apprenticeship Week which runs this week, saw York College's head of engineering Lisa Rowntree, spend the shadowing apprentices and getting an insight into the demands and rewards of working at one of the world’s largest confectionery manufacturing plants.

The invitation followed research commissioned by Nestlé UK in 2014 which revealed the majority of UK businesses feel that there are not enough young people studying maths and science to meet the future demand.

Also the majority of young people, and their teachers and tutors, do not know what businesses in science, technology, engineering and maths are looking for in new recruits.

Nestlé UK & Ireland chairman and chief executive Fiona Kendrick said: "Apprenticeships are an absolutely critical part of the academy programme and we have been offering them to young people for more than 45 years.

"We are committed to leadership in this area, having doubled the number of apprenticeships we offer in the last twelve months. As part of our strategy to build the business it is vital we have a skilled and dynamic workforce and apprenticeships provide the perfect recruitment model and an unbeatable opportunity to start a new career."