Marconi has launched childcare vouchers through salary sacrifice and has achieved a take-up rate of 2%.

Dawn Kelly, HR adviser at Marconi, said that the take-up rate was "promising" given that the scheme was launched in October. She expects that this figure will rise as employers understand the benefits more.

"We put adverts on our intranet, put up posters and send out mailshots to make sure every employee knows the perk is available and understands it" she said.