A list of Britain’s leading self-made millionaires shows that nearly a quarter hail from Scotland and 11 of the top 25 come from the North of England.

Many on the list rose from being engineers, mechanics and builders to become successful entrepreneurs. Of those who acquired wealth from relatively humble backgrounds, the majority took vocational training, such as workplace apprenticeships, rather than university degrees.

The study also shows that self-made millionaires from the North tend to come from industrial backgrounds while those in the South made their money from the City or property.

John Caudwell, who founded the high street mobile phone chain Phones 4u and has a personal fortune of £1.6 billion, is top of the list. He got his first job as an engineering apprentice at the Michelin plant in Stoke-on-Trent in the Midlands in 1970.

Others to make their mark include chefs, plumbers, hairdressers and fashion students. The study shows that only two of top 25 entrepreneurs started their careers with a university degree. They are Sir James Dyson (no.3) and Sir Terry Matthews (no.4).

But it is the rise of the self-made Scot that is the most remarkable trend in the City and Guilds Vocational Rich List. Only five Scottish-born entrepreneurs had a self-made fortune of more than £10 million in 2005. But by 2007 14 had passed the milestone.

Jim McColl, who runs the engineering and chimney-sweeping business Clyde Blowers, is the highest ranked with a personal fortunate of £435 million. Other self-made Scots include Sir Alex Ferguson, the Manchester United manager, who began as an apprentice welder at Govan Shipyard on Clydeside, and the chef Gordon Ramsay, who signed to play for Glasgow Rangers at 15 before going back to college to complete an HND course in hotel management.

Philip Beresford, who compiled the list, said he was not surprised at the presence of so many people who took apprenticeships. “The apprenticeship is still very heavily rooted in Scotland. They don’t have the Eton and Oxbridge syndrome and they don’t have the Del boy get-rich-quick mentality. It fits in with the Gordon Brown mould of raising yourself by your boot straps through hard work.” Chris Humphries, director-general of City & Guilds, said that the list suggested the rest of the country needed to wake up to the idea of work-related training.

UK Top 25 Vocational Rich List, and where they came from

John Caudwell £1.6bn Engineer, Stoke-on-Trent. Founded Phones 4u
Laurence Graff £1.5bn Jeweller. Has shops across Europe and America
Sir James Dyson £1.08bn Designer. Inventor of bagless vacuum cleaner
Sir Terry Matthews £1.01bn Engineer. Telecoms industry billionaire
Trevor Hemmings £980m Builder. Littlewoods Pools and Blackpool Tower owner
Jim McColl £435m Founder, Jim McColl Associates, civil and structural engineers
Stewart Milne £294m Electrician. His group is one of UK's top homebuilders
Peter Dawson £225m Engineer, Milton Keynes
Sir David McMurtry £225m Engineer. Chairman and chief executive of Renishaw
Jack Tordoff £210m Motor mechanic Bradford, Yorkshire
John Frieda £190m Hairdresser. Owns global haircare company
Kevin Linfoot £145m Carpenter. Formed K W Linfoot, a property company
Eric Clapton £140m Art. Guitarist, singer and songwriter
Mike Clare £120m Business studies. Founder, managing director of Dreams plc
Robbie Cowling £105m Mechanic. Founded recruitment company Jobserve
Dame Anita Roddick £102m Teacher. Founder of The Body Shop chain
Rodger Dudding £100m Naval engineer. Ticket and queue systems
Kevin McDonald £82m Plumber, plastic piping, founder of Polypipe
Gordon Ramsay £50m Chef. Master chef and TV personality
Billy Lowe £28m Printer. Chairman and chief executive of Saltaire Taverns
James Milne £25m Agricultural Engineer, Aberdeen
Billy Connolly £20m Welder. TV star and international entertainer
Sir Alex Ferguson £20m Welder. One of Europe's top football managers
Sam Russell £20m Engineer Kirkcaldy, Fife
Charan Gill £16m Shipbuilder Glasgow

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