Milestone for apprenticeship hub programme
ONE thousand SMEs have signed up to take on an apprentice through the Leeds City Region Enterprise Partnership (LEP) Apprenticeship Hub Programme.
The programme provides free and independent advice to SMEs who want to find out about the benefits and practical steps involved in recruiting an apprentice.
Roger Marsh, chairman of Leeds City Region Enterprise Partnership, said: “Apprenticeships are a great way of growing your business and developing new talent at the same time. The LEP is committed to encouraging more SMEs to train apprentices which will in turn drive economic growth, tackle skills shortages and improve career prospects for young people across the region.
“Our Apprenticeship Hubs Programme is active across the entire City Region and ready to support employers to take the first step in opening up their employment opportunities. We are delighted that 1,000 SMEs in the region have already benefitted from this support and we urge more to follow suit to realise their own potential.”
The LEP Hub Programme runs across ten local authority areas after being launched last year. The hubs are based in Barnsley, Bradford, Calderdale, Kirklees, Leeds, North Yorkshire (comprising Craven, Harrogate and Selby), Wakefield and York.
The programme also includes two apprenticeship training agencies (ATAs) in Leeds and Bradford.
The hubs and ATAs are targeting SMEs that have not previously offered apprenticeships at all or during the last year. Funding for the programme has been secured by the LEP through the government’s City Deal initiative as part of wider moves to tackle youth unemployment and boost business growth.
First Locate is one of the 1,000 SMEs which have signed up to the hub programme. The call centre, based in Leeds city centre, is planning to triple the number of apprentices it already has this financial year.
Three new apprentices started in March 2014 as part of a brand new financial services apprenticeship qualification, developed with several partners including the National Skills Academy For Financial Services. The company is looking to increase its apprentices from three to 14 so that it has six apprentices in Leeds, four in Scarborough and four in Woking.
Chris Shaw, learning and development manager, First Locate, said: “Leeds is the call centre capital of the north and the potential for business expansion is significant. We want people with a strong work ethic, a good attitude and some get up and go. That’s all I’m after. The rest will follow. In return we give our apprentices the experience, training and work and life skills.”
