National Apprenticeship Week
The government today launched National
Apprenticeship Week, celebrating the commitment of employers to
recruit apprentices and urging people to look at the benefits to
their skills and career of becoming an apprentice.
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.
Apprenticeships Minister Kevin Brennan
said:
“In the last year we have seen a record
increase in the number of people starting an apprenticeship. The
benefits are clear and this week I am urging businesses and young
people alike to take a close look at what they can gain from
them.
“Skills will be key to the recovery of the UK
economy and apprentices can be vital to businesses looking to
innovate and grow.
“I am proud so many businesses are hiring
apprentices already. Last year 143,000 people completed an
apprenticeship, helping to give them the skills and experience they
need to get on at work.”
New research commissioned through the National
Apprenticeships Service and the British Chambers of Commerce shows
that more than three in five UK companies plan to recruit this
year, while 62% of businesses who employ apprentices said they made
a positive contribution during the recession.