Improving young people’s chances of employment
Young people aged 16-20 will be given extra support to get on to apprenticeship schemes following the collaboration between charities, colleges and training providers. Support will include practical skills, such as interview preparation and CV writing, with the aim of improving the quality and success rate of applications for vacancies.
Sixteen providers have been successful in gaining funding from the Apprenticeship Application Support Fund, run by the Association for Employment and Learning Providers (AELP) on behalf of the National Apprenticeship Service (NAS).
The initial grant put forward by the NAS was GBP450,000 but this figure was increased to GBP700,000 by the Skills Funding Agency. It was raised due to the success of the bidding competition, especially bids which aimed to help those in under-represented groups gain apprenticeships. It is expected that the Apprenticeship Application Support Fund will support 17,000 young people.
AELP chief executive, Graham Hoyle, said: “In the current ultra-competitive youth employment market, Apprenticeships are seen as a valuable commodity by both young people and employers alike, yet often the application process itself can be the major stumbling block. The new support is offering innovative ways of addressing this common pitfall to ensure that more young people can develop their vocational talents in Apprenticeship-based employment.”