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A campaign is being launched in Reading to create 100 new apprenticeship places in the next 100 days
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Join big push for Apprenticeships

By David Millward
February 09, 2011

Young people eager to learn new skills are set to benefit from a major push to increase the number of apprenticeship opportunities in Reading.

A campaign is being launched in the town tomorrow to create 100 new apprenticeship places in the next 100 days.

The initiative is timed to coincide with National Apprenticeship Week and is being supported by the Reading Post/getreading and other local business organisations.

Employers will learn more about the Reading 100 in 100 Challenge during a business breakfast held at the pentahotel, in Oxford Road, in the town centre, tomorrow.

Rachel McKellar, regional director for the National Apprenticeship Service (NAS) in the South East, said: “In launching this campaign, our aim is to raise awareness of the benefits of taking the apprenticeship route.

“Apprenticeships are a great way for young people in particular to get on the career ladder, gain qualifications and earn a salary at the same time.

“The skills they learn and the qualifications they gain will improve their prospects for the future.”

She added: “We hope the campaign will help raise the profile of apprenticeships with local employers as a way to ‘grow your own talent’ and reap the benefits of a more productive workforce which in turn benefits the local economy.”

Ms McKellar said apprenticeships were not limited to the traditional trades and there were about 200 different jobs offered, including marketing, business administration and customer service.

The 100 in 100 challenge is being run by the NAS and supported by the Reading Post, Reading Borough Council, Reading UK CIC, Thames Valley Regional Network and Central Berkshire Education Business Partnership.

See the special 12-page supplement in today’s Reading Post for more details or contact Ruth Harris at the NAS at ruth.harris@apprenticeships.gov.uk.

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Most recent user comments 7 of 7

"Giving people fake A level grades and shoving them into a pointless university course so they could say "look how many people we got into university!" was one of the most disgusting lies of the labour era. Apprenticeships are a real route to work for many people."

I think you'll find chief 'Apprenticeships' are just the same package only sans the education and certificate and obviously under Herr Cameron no job at the end of all the effort. However it does provide a cheap slave labour force whilst running. The naz, er I mean tories tried this before as the YTS scheme. Bless.

More Crumpet Vicar?
10/02/2011 at 10:15

Giving people fake A level grades and shoving them into a pointless university course so they could say "look how many people we got into university!" was one of the most disgusting lies of the labour era.

Apprenticeships are a real route to work for many people.

Lighten Up
09/02/2011 at 20:35

We tried to get involved in the apprenticeship programme a couple of years ago; the candidates that turned up (or those that bothered to turn up), were unfortunately such low calibre with such high expectations that we decided to go for an intern from a European University. These young people were articulate not only in their own language but in English, they were polite, reliable, hard working and interested in learning from us as well as contributing.

I hope that apprentices' expectations are managed by the NAS and they are carefully briefed also in what will be expected of them in a commercial workplace.