Boost for apprentice schemes
Sep 4 2008 by Peter Leathley, The Journal
APPRENTICESHIPS are back in fashion with the Government.
Prime Minister Gordon Brown announced in January that he wanted one in five young people to be on apprenticeships within 10 years – double the current number.
An additional £10m a year has been made available to fund 1,000 extra apprenticeship places in the North East.
Alan Wallace, partnership director Newcastle for the Learning and Skills Council (LSC), said: “There are going to be some changes in the apprenticeship system with the National Apprenticeship Service and vacancy matching, which will allow employers to put vacancies online.
“The key involvement is employers. It’s taken a while to develop, to ensure it meets employers’ needs and engages with them.”
The national overarching body is due to go live next April and the vacancy matching service goes online in November. Mr Wallace said apprenticeships raised a business’s skills levels, contributed to developing the business, made the business more competitive and provided good value.
The construction industry, however, is struggling to persuade employers to take the plunge in the current economic climate. Over 2,000 people have applied for construction apprenticeships in the North East but only 300 places are available.
