Apprentices flying high at AgustaWestland
Business Minister Pat McFadden is visiting
AgustaWestland today to celebrate the helicopter manufacturer’s
commitment to recruit apprentices.
On the final day of National Apprenticeship
Week, the Minister will meet apprentices at the Yeovil based firm,
which has trebled its apprenticeship intake in the past four
years.
Major UK employers are expecting to hire
thousands of apprentices in 2010 and the government is encouraging
all businesses to take up the new Apprentice Grant for Employers
(AGE) scheme offering a £2,500 grant for each 16 or 17-year-old
apprentice taken on.
Business Minister Pat McFadden said: “Becoming
an apprentice is a great way of learning a trade and I am pleased
to see firms like AgustaWestland giving people the chance to gain
vital skills and experience.
“In 1997 apprenticeships had dwindled as a
route for people to gain new skills - today we have 239,900
starting Apprenticeships and businesses of all sizes are reaping
the rewards of having a highly skilled workforce.”
Graham Cole, Managing Director of
AgustaWestland said:
“AgustaWestland has always been a strong
supporter of apprenticeships and continues to invest in these
schemes as it knows today’s apprentices will be a great asset to
the Company in the future.
“We are committed to developing young people’s
talents and are very proud that our training schemes were recently
awarded ‘Outstanding’ status following our first OFSTED
inspection.”
A total of 27,700 people started
apprenticeships in the South West in 2008/9 and more than half of
the businesses surveyed in the region who employ apprentices said
they had made a positive contribution during the recession.
Simon Waugh, Chief Executive of the National
Apprenticeship Service, said:
“The time is absolutely right for businesses
of all sizes to take on apprentices. Our research shows that firms
who take on apprentices have been in great shape to face the
downturn.
“Last year saw a seven per cent increase in
apprentices; that’s 240,000 people freshly into the jobs market,
with the determination to succeed. What continues to surprise me is
the number of companies who still haven’t switched on to
apprentices and the value they bring to businesses.”