National Apprenticeship Week
10th February 2009
To celebrate National Apprenticeship Week, SkillsActive will be delivering an awareness event at Bewerley Park Outdoor Centre in Pateley Bridge, Harrogate on Wednesday February 25 between 9.00am and 11.00am. The session is an opportunity to discover more about Apprenticeships in Sport and Active Leisure, as well as meeting the apprentices and seeing their skills demonstrated at first hand. It will include presentations from Bewerley Park Outdoor Centre, Craven College, SkillsActive and the National Skills Academy.
Julie Fisher, Regional Development Manager for SkillsActive, explains: “This is the second year that National Apprenticeship Week has been held. It marks another fantastic year of success and increased awareness of the benefits of the scheme for both the employer and the apprentice. Our event showcases the talent of our current apprentices and highlights the positive impact this programme can have on local businesses.”
Gordon Brown recently announced plans to fund an additional 35,000 apprentices this year, taking the investment for this training to £1b in 2009-10. This will result in over 250,000 people starting apprenticeships in the coming year. Apprenticeships have been revived by the Government and are now a key part of the post-16 education offer. They play a central role in the Government’s plan for growing skills in the economy, with today’s figures being almost triple those of ten years ago. Apprenticeships exist across the breadth of the economy in all sectors and industries, and there are currently 130,000 businesses running Apprenticeship schemes in the UK.
Julie continues: “Many people will have seen the television adverts featuring Sir Alan Sugar. As he says, apprentices are ‘doers’, who make things happen in business. Particularly in the current economic climate, employers are recognising the importance of these schemes to train skilled workers and help make their businesses more resilient during the downturn.
The Government funding is a specific measure to help enable employers to take apprentices on during this difficult time, making it an excellent value for money option, while the on the job training ensures that the apprentices are job ready on completion of the programme.”
She adds: “Sport and active leisure is a key area for a number of reasons. Not only does it contribute to the Government’s targets for improving the health of the nation and tackling the growing obesity crisis, it also features high on the agenda in the run up to the London 2012 Olympics. There’s never been a better or more exciting time to get involved.”
Apprentices learn in the work environment, building up knowledge and skills whilst gaining qualifications and earning money at the same time. There are different levels of apprenticeship available – the Young Apprenticeship (YA) provides 14 to 16 year olds with the opportunity to combine their academic studies with a blend of vocational qualifications and work placements.
The Apprenticeship in Active Leisure and Learning is available to anyone aged between 16 and 65, while the Advanced Apprenticeship in Sporting Excellence (AASE) is aimed at young people who have the potential to achieve excellence in their sport and are seeking to perform at the very highest level.