Employers and Public Sector to create 10.000 apprenticeship places
At least 10,000 apprenticeships will be created in spite of the contraction in the economy, as the bill which launched the National Apprenticeship Service was announced last week by John Denham and Ed Balls. New Government commitments on procurement are expected to see upwards of 7,000 new apprenticeships in construction, while high street giants released plans for large-scale increases in the numbers of apprenticeships they offer.
Sainsbury’s, Tesco, Superdrug and Phones 4u have committed to expand massively their numbers of apprentices, to ensure they have the right skills to stay ahead of the competition.
Skills Secretary John Denham said, “This shows that we are well on the way to making apprenticeships a mainstream option for young people who want to get on. We anticipate that one in five of all young people will be undertaking an apprenticeship by the end of the next decade.”
“This Government has rescued and rebuilt apprenticeships and seen their numbers dramatically increase over the past 10 years. In 1996-97, just 65,000 people started an apprenticeship. That figure nearly trebled to 184,000 in 2006-07. But we need to go much further, which is precisely why we are investing £1 billion by 2010/11.”
“It’s great that private sector employers are making such a commitment to and an investment in their workforce. We need to do the same in the public sector and must ensure that every pound invested by taxpayers not only helps deliver new infrastructure projects but will also help provide the skilled workers needed in the future and enable more people to build a strong career. Apprenticeships are an excellent way to do this.”
Schools Secretary Ed Balls said, “Employers recognise that they need well trained staff to compete and succeed in the market place. This significant increase of available Apprenticeships will help ensure they have the skilled staff they want. There is a great demand for Apprenticeship places from young people, which this will also go toward fulfilling.”
“As we continue to drive forward the expansion of Apprenticeships, the new National Apprenticeship Service will help ensure they are high quality and that employers and potential apprentices can be matched up.”
David Way, National Director of Skills at the Learning and Skills Council said, “Hiring apprentices is an excellent way for a business to grow its own talent. They offer a great return on investment as the training is often fully-funded and businesses can be eligible for further financial support towards their apprentices’ wages.”
“We urge employers to take on apprentices and start reaping the benefits.”
Lorna Bryson, Tesco’s Head of UK Resourcing says, “Since we launched the apprentice programme in 2004, a thousand members of staffhave successfully completed their apprenticeship, with a further 800 enrolling thisacademic year.”
“Apprenticeships allow us to provide great training and development to our staff, helping them to recognise their long-term career goals; half of our 2006/07 apprentices have progressed to become managers or team leaders. And Tesco benefits, too, by having hard working, dedicated, and talented individuals that are confident and satisfied in their roles.”
