Skills Minister Matthew Hancock has said that men and women over the age of 50 and looking for a career change should take advantage of professional apprenticeships.
Apprenticeships are traditionally associated with graduates and school leavers, but with over 425,000 people aged 50+ unemployed, apprenticeships provide an positive career path for older applicants also.
Recent government figures found that over the past year, over 34,000 people aged 50+ began an apprenticeship, with a third of these in professional sectors such as business, administration and law.
Hancock said: “Demand from employers for adult Apprenticeships is growing, because they help people of all ages – including the over 50s – to get and hold down skilled jobs. As we recover from the great recession we need to build a recovery for all.
“Apprenticeships increasingly help people of all ages get the skills they need to get the new jobs becoming available. Our priority is to build on the best of the Apprenticeships programme expanding Apprenticeships where they deliver the greatest benefits for employers, apprentices and the wider economy.”
