Barclays on the hunt for more apprentices in the Midlands

BARCLAYS is to take on a further 1,000 apprentices by 2015, taking the total to 2,000.

The bank wants to target young people in long-term unemployment with little or no qualifications. Of the 500 it has taken on so far this year 100 are in the Midlands.

The commitment was announced alongside its Bridges Into Work programme where it plans to find jobs for 10,000 apprentices by linking them up with businesses. This will include 1,000 in Birmingham.

It said there are often negative attitudes towards apprenticeships, particularly in small firms where many business owners consider it a time consuming process.

Ashok Vaswani, chief executive of Barclays Retail and Business Banking, said: “We’ve seen first-hand how our apprentices are incredibly productive and valued members of staff, which is why we are now doubling our recruitment to 2,000. But we often also find great young people who want to work in other industries, and we believe we can help them into work through our vast network of business customers.

“We want to help local businesses to take on their own apprentices and will support them every step of the way. Our new package of free support is available to any businesses whether they bank with us or not because we are aiming to make a really big difference to young people’s careers, and to our economy.”

TheBusinessDesk.com has joined forces with the National Apprenticeship Service (NAS) for a breakfast seminar on Friday March 22 at the Novotel in Birmingham.

NAS will provide information on how apprenticeships can enhance a company’s future prospects and will have details of the funding available, including the AGE 16 to 24 grant which offers £1,500 to eligible employers.

If you would like to attend please email Stephanie Higgins at stephanie.higgins@thebusinessdesk.com