Yorkshire bosses are keener on personality that grades

As Yorkshire's A-level students discover how they have fared in their exams it has been claimed that as many as nine out of 10 employers in Yorkshire believe job-seekers should focus on '˜soft skills' just as much as their grades.·

The 29-year-old, from Catterick in North Yorkshire, started her career with British Gas as a customer service adviser seven years ago.

While she enjoyed being able to help customers she coveted a more practical role and decided to enrol on an apprenticeship with the company.

A recent study by the Centre for Economics and Business Research indicated that a typical apprentice can grow a business through productivity gains of a staggering £10,000 annually.