Apprenticeship service launched by Chamber

LEEDS, York and North Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce is launching a new service to help businesses recruit, employ and train apprentices.

The service is being launched as new Chamber research reveals that 45% of businesses in the region do not know how to find an apprentice or where to access the relevant funding.

The research also showed that only one in 10 of businesses had employed an apprentice in the last year.

The Chamber’s new Workforce Development Team will work with employers to develop an integrated recruitment and training apprenticeship package, as well as facilitate access to the relevant public funding. The service is free for businesses across Yorkshire.

Existing Chamber employees, Debbie Lumby and Sally Spawforth, have been appointed to the Workforce Development Team in the roles of business advisor.

Anj Handa, head of employment and skills at Leeds, York and North Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce, said: “The Coalition Government has put apprenticeships at the heart of its skills policy by investing £200m to support the training of new and existing staff; however, through our recent research, we have found that businesses are still unsure how to access this funding or even how to begin recruiting an apprentice.

“The Chamber’s new service will simplify this process at no cost to the employer and we can develop tailor made apprentice packages to suit individual business needs.

“We need to change the perception that apprenticeships are a less credible route than university and the Chamber would recommend that any business makes apprenticeships a key part of their recruitment strategy.”

The Chamber recently recruited Declan McHale who is undertaking a Business Administration Apprenticeship Programme, to work in its events team.

Mr McHale joins three members of staff who have all completed their apprenticeships while working at the Chamber and now hold full time positions within the organisation.

The 16-year-old, from Otley, Leeds said: “The apprenticeship programme is fantastic and I look forward to learning in a work place environment, whilst earning at the same time.”

Apprenticeship programmes are available in business administration; accounts; team leading; insurance; management; and banking.