E&S lifts 16 young adults on to Ladder for the Black Country

Since September, 43 employers have pledged to create 145 apprenticeships and 302 young adults come forward looking for work through the Ladder for the Black Country - the drive to create new apprenticeships spearheaded by the Express & Star, the Vine Trust and training provider Performance Through People.

So far, 16 young people have already taking up their roles thanks to the campaign with more than 100 currently going through the application process.

One of those starters is Alisha Atkins, 16, who is an administration apprentice at Travelstar European coach hire firm in Walsall.

She is the firm's first apprentice.

The former Shelfield Academy student said: "I started at college and found it was not really for me. So I started looking down the apprenticeship route and this job with found by the Ladder for the Black Country."

Miss Atkins started her apprenticeship at the start of this year.

"It is going really well and I am really enjoying it.

"It is much more suitable to my way of learning."

Operations manager Neil Jones said: "Taking on Alisha is working really well for us and she is showing a lot of promise and a great future for the business.

"We had not taken on an apprentice previously but there was a lot being written and advertised about them and we saw the Ladder for the Black Country campaign in the Express & Star.

"We saw it as a great opportunity to get some fresh thinking and new ideas into the business and to help a young person into work."

Together with The Vine Trust and Performance Through People we are asking businesses to consider creating apprenticeships.

The Black Country has the highest youth unemployment rates in England.

Business development director at Performance Through People, Gill Durkin, said: "We are really pleased with how things are going so far. We can already see people have moved into work. What we really need now is another push of companies coming forward to create these opportunities for young people and for more young people to express an interest by contacting us at Ladder for the the Black Country.

"We can offer support and advice to anyone who is considering applying for one or creating new roles.

"The level of response has been really good and we are keen to make it grow.

"The message is apprenticeships are a real alternative to staying on at school and for businesses they are the best succession planning and a way to build the workforce you want."

To offer an apprenticeship, or if you are a young person looking for work, visit www.ladderfortheblackcountry.co.uk or call 03332 409 699.