Ladder for Shropshire apprentices message taken into schools

Representatives from the Ladder have attended careers evenings at the Corbet School in Baschurch, Lakelands Academy in Ellesmere and Mary Webb School in Pontesbury and have given a presentation at Sundorne School in Shrewsbury.

Further visits have been organised with the Marches School in Oswestry and Telford Priory School.

The Ladder for Shropshire is an apprenticeship scheme.

And whether you are a business looking at taking on an apprentice or a young person looking for work, there are plenty of benefits to being part of getting involved. We want companies – large, medium and small – to take on apprentices and help them onto the job ladder.

An apprenticeship is a paid job that includes on and off-the-job training. For every apprentice taken, employers may be eligible for a Government grant of £1,500.

More than 80 per cent of consumers favour using a company that takes on apprentices and 74 per cent of businesses say apprentices are more loyal and stay with the business longer than other employees.

• For full details visit ladderforshropshire.co.uk

• For more information call 0330 999 8441 or 0800 999 8441.

• You can also email ladder@apprentice-providers.co.uk or fill out the online contact form here

It comes after Sir Michael Wilshaw, the chief inspector of schools from Ofsted, said last month that the number of young people employed in apprenticeships in England is "a disaster".

Jamie Pugh, marketing and development officer for the Ladder campaign, said: "Sir Michael's comments about apprenticeships as a means of building a career in your chosen industry resonated with what we are trying to do in the Ladder for Shropshire campaign.

"We have been delighted with the number of roles that have been created by companies partnering with the Ladder, and we can see that there is a desire among local employers to take on young people and train them up to form the workforce of the future.

"We have been talking to local schools and colleges to ensure that they are making the most of the opportunities that are arising through our participating businesses, and we are absolutely determined to ensure that apprenticeships are being presented as a viable alternative to sixth form or university.

"We hope to have visited all the local secondary schools in some capacity before the new year so that young people can learn more about the apprenticeship route. We're making it easier for young people to source apprenticeships by offering impartial advice about services in Shropshire."

Sir Michael had told MPs: "The fact we've only got six per cent of youngsters going into apprenticeships is a disaster, and it's really important that schools are fair on youngsters and make sure that all the options are put to them."

Star comment: Apprentice slots may be answer

The record low unemployment figures in Shropshire do not tell the story of the young Salopians who are struggling to get on the jobs ladder in the first place.

Those who do not take the plunge into the labour market immediately are gambling that the job they get after university will come with a salary which enables them to pay off their debts within a reasonable time.

University is not for everyone and every summer a new army of teenagers leave school and are looking to make a living, or at least have their own source of income.

The Ladder for Shropshire campaign, which this newspaper proudly backs, is a multi-organisation campaign to promote apprenticeships, which are like a golden ticket in the current work environment.

The campaign aims to encourage companies to take on apprentices, and to create scores of apprenticeships around the county.

Providing the opportunity is one half of the equation. The other half is showing youngsters the value of taking up the opportunities on offer. And here lies a problem.

Last month the chief inspector of schools from Ofsted, Sir Michael Wilshaw, said that the number of young people employed in apprenticeships in England is "a disaster".

"It's really important that schools are fair on their youngsters and make sure that all the options are put to them. It should never be seen as a bolt-on or an add-on," he said.

In this county, the Ladder for Shropshire is already talking to schools and colleges to ensure that apprenticeships are on the radar for youngsters as an alternative to staying on in the sixth form, or going to university.

There have been careers evenings at a number of schools attended by Ladder representatives, and more visits are in the pipeline. The hope is that all local secondary schools will have had some sort of visit by the new year.

Nobody is pretending that an apprenticeship will be suitable for everybody. In career choice, it's all a question of getting round pegs into round holes, and getting a right match between a young person eager to learn, and an employer keen to have somebody with the skills that they are developing is a real result which puts the youngsters on a successful career path, just as the old traditional apprenticeships did for countless folk in generations past.

Those in their final period of school face the looming question over their future. An apprenticeship could be the right answer.