A significant number of long-term unemployed young Britons are giving up hope of ever finding a job and are failing to develop the skills necessary to help ensure the future economy flourishes. Responsibility to counter this by offering apprenticeships and training schemes thus lies in the hands of businesses, a large-scale employer has announced.
Speaking at the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) annual conference, Mike Thompson, head of the Early Careers initiative at Barclays, described the company’s apprenticeship programme as the “single best thing that Barclays has done in the HR space for many years".
According to a new paper by The Work Foundation, a complete overhaul of the apprenticeship system in the UK is needed.
A law firm in Yorkshire is championing the introduction of apprenticeships at their company, saying that the work the young employees carry out is integral to the running of their offices.
In a new initiative, hosting and colocation firm UKFast has vowed to change the face of apprenticeships schemes by paying apprentices complete salaries, which equate to more than double the national average of £6 per hour.
Despite evidence from the Centre for Economics and Business Research finding that apprenticeship schemes are set to contribute around GBP 3.4 billion annually to the economy over the next ten years, another survey has revealed that a number of employers are still hesitant to introduce the schemes.
Director of Gentoo Living, Caroline Gitsham said: “This is not only a great opportunity for the apprentices but for Gentoo as a business. We aim to provide a talented new workforce which will continue to contribute to the local economy for years to come.”
