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5-a-day apprentice campaign launched

A North East business organisation has launched a new campaign to help 400 young people in the region secure apprenticeships by Christmas.

As part of its ‘5-a-day pledge’, The North East Chamber of Commerce is working with businesses to get five apprentices up and running every day between now and the festive period.

Patricia Wilkinson, director of training and skills development at NECC, said: “Now more than ever employers need to be thinking about the skills they have in their workplace.

“Apprentices offer a fantastic way to bring new skills to a business. With links with more than 4,000 employers in the North East, NECC is in a unique position to be able to deliver our 5-a-day promise.”

Backed by Sir Alan Sugar, star of television’s The Apprentice, the government wants to see the number of young apprentices training in the North East doubled to 10,000 by 2013.

The campaign hopes to provide businesses with a platform for recruiting fresh talent and benefit young people in the region by securing them careers and industry qualifications.

Apprentice Laura Kisby, 21, is a trainee finance officer at the Pennywell Youth Development Project in Sunderland and has completed an NVQ Level 2 in Business Administration, a Level 3 in Customer Service and is about to start a level 4 in accountancy.

She said: “The apprenticeship has been great for me because I’ve been able to get qualifications but earn a wage at the same time.

“It’s made me feel more loyal towards my employers as they’ve invested the time in me to do my training.”

NECC currently has 1,500 apprentices and is looking to recruit 400 more via the 5-a-day campaign.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Mitchell .