High-flying apprentices at British Airways (BA) are urging school leavers to consider an alternative route to university. The airline's 14 apprenticeship programmes will open the doors to 175 school leavers this year, providing a mix of on-the-job training and studying, launching young people on to a successful career path. There are a whole range of options from engineering and operations, to IT, finance and customer service at its London Heathrow, Glasgow and Cardiff locations. Jessica Cloak, who has recently successfully completed BA's head office administration apprenticeship, said: "While studying for my A-levels, I decided that university was not the route for me and instead was drawn to apprenticeships as they offer a powerful combination of training and studying. "I am so glad I took this option as I'm now permanently employed by the airline's alliances team, working on projects with our airline partners and embarking on an exciting career." (//www.getwestlondon.co.uk)