National Apprenticeship Week: Trainees will get royal seal of approval thanks to Express & Star campaign

Nearly 1,000 apprenticeships have been created through the Ladder for the Black Country launched 18 months to address the region's shocking youth employment rate.

Backed by the Duke of York, the scheme soon rolled out to Staffordshire and Shropshire. So far more than 200 companies have got involved.

The Express & Star launched the campaign alongside training provider PTP, the Vine Trust charity and the Black Country Chamber of Commerce with the support of local councils.

Some of those who got apprenticeships through the campaign will meet the Duke at an event later this year.

Rob Colbourne, PTP managing director, said: "Who would have thought, some 18 months ago, a by chance conversation with the Duke's Secretary would result in the Ladder initiative engaging with 200 employers who have pledged to fill approaching 1,000 vacancies with apprentices?

"The expansion of the initiative from the Black Country into Shropshire and Staffordshire confirms there is a trust in the brand, and the message is slowly getting out to parents, employers and of course school leavers, and the unemployed, raising participation age does not mean staying on at school and an apprenticeship is an employed position. The apprenticeship brand now has real credibility and is seen by stakeholders as a professional route to progress in the work place, and could eventually lead to a degree.

"Whilst the Ladder initiative continues to engage with employers who want to utilise the apprenticeship programme to recruit and up-skill staff, the government need to ensure that funds are made available to carry on with this momentum as putting a hold on recruitment would damage all of the work carried out over the last 18 months.

"The celebration event will be the icing on the cake for some of the employers and their apprentices to meet with the Duke."

The biggest obstacle faced by young people is a lack of work experience and one of the greatest concerns for businesses is the lower availability of skilled employees. Apprenticeships can provide a solution to both of these issues by giving young people their first step on the ladder to skills and experience.

Our aim is to get companies – large, medium or small – to take one or more apprentices and make a commitment to their future workforce. With this pledge in place, we can help to match them with enthusiastic and dedicated young people who can bring so much to their new employers.

This week is National Apprenticeship Week which is designed to celebrate apprenticeships and the positive impact they have on individuals, businesses and the wider economy.

To find out more, go to www.ladderfortheblackcountry.co.uk, call 03332 409 699 or apprenticeships.gov.uk