What we all need more than ever

Jan 9 2009 by Nicholas Craig, Watson Burton

WHEN jobs are hard to come by, skills are a boon. For those seeking jobs for the first time, vocational qualifications could help make the difference between beginning a long-term career or a temporary stop-gap.

I am a keen supporter of a training system at my firm, which recruits a number of school leavers and takes them through an excellent office juniors’ scheme leading to an NVQ qualification. Because it is so well-established, the participants benefit from a sensible, strongly-constructed programme and the experience of some former juniors now employed full-time.

The office skills they learn are a strong basis for future careers, and as they move from department to department, I enjoy watching how they become part of the team and gain in confidence and employability. We have some excellent juniors and the firm runs all the more smoothly for their energy and abilities.

Apprenticeships are a great way in which to learn a trade or profession, and are at last growing, albeit slowly, across sectors. The increasing debts of university students compare unfavourably with those of apprentices, who “earn while they learn”. Yet the UK still pushes young people towards degrees rather than skills training.

For many careers apprenticeships are a far more effective way to get young people into work. In IT, for example, universities are not always able to offer training in the latest technologies. On-the-job experience provides the hands-on know-how that many graduates miss out on.

Those who have completed apprenticeships or in-house training such as our office juniors’ scheme are a sound investment for the future. They are technically strong and understand how to fit into a team from the start.

Gordon Brown says a further 90,000 apprenticeships for 16- to 18-year-olds will come on stream in the next five years, doubling the number available in the North East to 10,000. That’s good news, but it needs to be met by more businesses signing up to offer apprenticeships.

This year the National Apprenticeship Service will be piloted. It aims to co-ordinate and list vacancies in companies through a searchable database which would-be apprentices can scour. It is a good step forward in helping more people get a foothold on the career ladder. Let’s hope the credit crunch does not squeeze training budgets from participating employers.

Training schemes strengthen businesses for the long term to see them through tough times. We need them this year more than ever.

Nicholas Craig is a partner at Watson Burton law firm