Apprenticeship Training Agency
The Leeds Apprenticeship Training Agency (ATA) has recently launched, which aims to sustain business in the Leeds area by matching apprentices to local companies, largely SMEs. It was founded in partnership with the Leeds City College and Leeds City Council.
Chief Executive of the agency, Stephen Fieldhouse, hopes to have gained support from 200 businesses by the end of 2013. The agency will address the needs of the business, encouraging growth and looking at how to improve return on investment. Businesses pay to use the service but can gain Government funding to cover these costs.
Fieldhouse said: “Taking on apprentices can reduce skill shortages, minimise staff turnover, allow fresh talent to be nurtured whilst increasing productivity; offering a cost-effective method for recruiting and creating a competitive edge to increase profits. The ATA is primarily aimed at business. It’s there to cut out the red tape that taking on apprentices in the past has entailed. It is also about changing the perception of apprentices in the first and foremost.”
If you are interested in hiring an apprentice, contact the Leeds ATA on 0113 220 6370 or email [email protected].
