Almost half of respondents to a Pitman Training survey said they would like to receive a career-boosting course as a Christmas present.

The company has launched a new set of training gift-vouchers on the back of the survey, which found that 46 per cent of respondents said that a training course to help boost their career would be a welcome gift.

The survey also looked at what people wouldn't like to receive this Christmas, top of the list was perfumed soap at 32 per cent, followed by gardening tools (30 per cent), DIY tools (22 per cent) and socks (16 per cent).