Waveney MP Peter Aldous has today welcomed new statistics that show a record number of work places in Waveney employing apprenticeships in 2012/13 and is calling on local businesses to consider employing an apprentice if they have not yet done so.
 
This follows on from the Government’s Implementation Plan last October for delivering apprenticeship reform in England, which supports a more employer-focused approach on how apprenticeships will be developed, undertaken and assessed in the future.
 
The Plan places emphasis on making small businesses more aware of the benefits of apprenticeships to their skills requirements. More Government support will be provided to help employers identify higher quality training by making better data available to them and their apprentices, and make the overall process of taking on an apprentice simpler for businesses.
 
In Waveney, the total number of work places employing apprentices between 2010-2013 is as follows:-
 
2010/2011 – 370
2011/2012 – 340                                                                                                 
2012/2013 – 450
 
The figures represent a 21.6% increase in the number of employers that have taken on apprentices since 2010. Last year, a total of 1,020 people started an apprenticeship in Waveney.
 
Mr Aldous commented:
 
“Whilst many small businesses in the Waveney area have initially had reservations about taking on apprentices due to difficulties in administering them and the short-term cost involved, it is fantastic news that 450 employed apprentices last year.
 
By employing an apprentice, businesses will be both giving young people a chance and boosting their business. If they have not already done so, I urge local companies to consider taking on an apprentice and to contact me if they have any questions that they’d like me to raise with Government.”