Apprenticeships in the spotlight

The boss of one of the biggest private sector employers in the Black Country is driving a campaign aimed at encouraging businesses across the West Midlands to take on apprentices.

Richard Harpin, chief executive of Walsall-based Homeserve and chairman of the West Midlands Apprenticeship Ambassadors network, said: "At HomeServe apprenticeships are vital in developing our next generation of highly skilled tradespeople, who not only excel technically but are also trained to deliver the best customer service to our members.

Potential

"I believe that apprenticeships provide the best way for companies to build a workforce for the future and offer individuals a real chance to achieve their full potential, particularly here in the Midlands."

The home emergency and repair group operates across five countries, with a total of 10 million policy holders covered for the likes of burst pipes, blocked drains and stained carpets.

Stephen Lilley, regional director of the National Apprenticeship Service in the West Midlands, said apprenticeships were increasingly recognised as the best way for employers to develop their workforce for the future, because they provided high quality training specifically designed around the needs of a job and an employer.

He said: "The number of apprentices is increasing in the Black Country and South Staffordshire, with 42 per cent more people starting an apprenticeship in the Black Country in 2008/09 than 2006/07, and 20 per cent more in South Staffordshire.

"More than 70 per cent of individuals that completed an apprenticeship in 2008/09 were successful. This is a three-fold increase since 2000.

"Today's apprenticeships are tailor made for business; designed by industry, for industry and based around relevant, work-based training to ensure that apprentices add value to an organisation from the very start.

"As well as technical skills, apprentices are also trained in the key skills of communication and numeracy as well as team working and problem solving. The training is structured to meet your own specific company needs, whatever your sector."

Skills would be crucial to a strong economic recovery, with evidence showing that apprentices helped boost competitiveness, innovation and growth - and the NAS aimed to make apprenticeships the natural choice for all employers.

"I would encourage all business to recruit apprentices. As an employer you will see some excellent business benefits including increased productivity, competitiveness and more motivated staff., said Mr Lilley.

"As an individual apprentice you will have the benefit of a nationally recognised qualification which you are achieving through working as a paid employees.

"Apprenticeships are at the heart of the Government's skills agenda and are one of the very few areas across the public sector that has actually seen a substantial increase in investment, with Business Secretary Vince Cable recently announcing a further £150 million of funding for apprenticeships," he added.

The benefits of employing apprentices:

The campaign is also highlighting the range of benefits of taking on apprentices:

• 92 per cent of employees thought that apprenticeships resulted in greater employee motivation and job satisfaction

• 66 per cent say their apprenticeships make them more competitive in their industry

• 71 per cent say they lower training costs

• 68 per cent say it enables them to fill vacancies more quickly

• 82 per cent of employers agree that the apprenticeship programme leads to lower staff turnover

• Latest figures show that more than 240,000 apprentices nationally have started on programmes this academic year (since August 2009), over 100,000 who are aged 16 to 18, giving the country the largest number of apprentices in history

To find out more about Apprenticeships, visit www.apprenticeships. org.uk, call 08000 150 600 or email wmnas@apprenticeships.gov.uk.