The Member of Parliament for Eastleigh, Mims Davies, has been highlighting the benefits of apprenticeships in Parliament this week ahead of the twelfth National Apprenticeship Week, which is due to take place from the 4th to the 8th March this year.
The annual event’s theme for 2019 is ‘Blaze a trail’ hoping to inspire the next generation of apprentices to be world leaders in their field. The week will be a brilliant opportunity for apprentices, training providers and educators to make the case for apprenticeships.
Commenting, Eastleigh MP Mims Davies said:
“Locally we are incredibly lucky to have Eastleigh College working with local businesses to support people in to apprenticeships. Having worked closely with Jan Edrich and the Eastleigh College team as Eastleigh’s local MP, I have seen first-hand how their strong relationships with both local, national and international businesses can lead to long-term job opportunities through the apprenticeships that they offer, and the security that this provides for people in our area.”
“That is why I will again be highlighting the benefits of an apprenticeship this National Apprenticeship Week. I am incredibly proud that 7,480 people in our area have benefited from the opportunities presented by an apprenticeship since 2010, helping them to gain key skills and qualifications at work, and setting them up to take the next steps in life, working within their communities and the wider world while making an active contribution to society.
Also commenting, Dr Jan Edrich, Principal of Eastleigh College said:
“At Eastleigh College we are very proud to have such a long tradition in training apprentices and working closely in partnership with their employers. We know that our past apprentices have highly successful careers in industry and many are now influential leaders and managers in the region.
“An apprenticeship is a very productive route into a career combining learning with the relevant experience. I would encourage all young people and their parents to find out more about the apprenticeship opportunities available. I think they would be surprised.”
National Apprenticeship Week highlights the numerous benefits of studying for an apprenticeship, not least of which is the double benefit of studying whilst earning. They aren’t simply for young people either, 46% of starters were over the age of 24 in 2016/17 and this shows how that apprenticeships can be used by anyone to re-train or to learn a new skill, not just school leavers.