Students wanting to ease their debt burden by working over the summer holidays should consider improving their office and IT skills.

According to Pitman Training Student students could earn as much as £100 more a week if they undertake office and IT based roles rather than unskilled jobs.

Unskilled jobs often attract the minimum wage, currently £3 for 16-17 year olds and £4.10 for 18-21, however positions such as secretaries, administrative assistants and office juniors, which require specific skills, can pay nearly double the typical unskilled wage, Pitman says.

Michael Graham, managing director of Pitman Training said: “In this day and age where students heading for university are almost guaranteed to come up against spiralling debt, they really need to be thinking about what they can do, to make some decent money before starting their degree courses. Secondly, they need to consider how to make the most money during term time, without neglecting their studies. There are plenty of office based jobs available for those with the right skills to do them properly, and it’ll hopefully cut down on all the begging letters sent home once term starts.”