Employment boss encourages apprenticeships
A Black Country employment boss is encouraging students to take up apprenticeships - as employers are 'facing difficulties filling vacancies'.
Part of the problem stems from schools not informing pupils of apprenticeship opportunities, says Rob Colbourne, managing director of Performance Through People.
He revealed reports that the construction industry is struggling to fill '40,000 vacancies nationwide'.
But Mr Colbourne is encouraging young people to seriously consider taking apprenticeships when leaving school or college.
His firm PTP, based in Walsall, was one of the founders of the hugely successful Ladder for the Black Country campaign, alongside the Express & Star, which has helped more than 1,000 young people into work since its launch in 2014.
PTP is a training provider which matches employers with apprentices and since the Ladder's launch it has matched more than 2,000 apprenticeships vacancies.
Mr Colbourne said: ""There are numerous exciting apprenticeship opportunities out there that many people don't know about. You can become a teacher through an apprenticeship, get into law or become a paramedic.
"Apprenticeships can offer career pathways to professional jobs, alongside those traditionally associated with apprenticeships, such as in the construction and retail industries.
"I did an apprenticeship myself and I wouldn't be in this position today without the skills I gained at an early age. Instead of getting into debt at university, you can gain qualifications, work experience and get a salary. "
But Mr Colbourne believes schools are not making students aware enough of of apprenticeships, aside from going down the traditional routes of further education.
And he says some schools don't allow apprenticeship providers to visit them and speak to students about potential opportunities.
He said: "Apprenticeship providers are not always allowed into schools to discuss apprenticeships with some students being told they had to stay on at school until they were 18, which is not true.
"It has been reported there are 40,000 apprenticeship vacancies in the construction industry nationwide, which includes Staffordshire and the Black Country.
"Schools need to offer all options to potential leavers whether that be university, staying on in the sixth form or indeed an apprenticeship."
However the Ladder, which has received royal backing from the Duke of York, Prince Andrew, has been working positively with schools since its launch by promoting apprenticeships with students, says Mr Colbourne.
Among the apprenticeship roles currently listed on PTP's website include Dental Practice Manager, Teaching Assistant and Assistant Accountant.
And now with the government launching its own apprenticeship drive- aiming to create three million apprenticeships in England by 2020 - Mr Colbourne feels the 'apprenticeship brand' is going 'from strength to strength'.
"Apprenticeships used to have a bad reputation because they were sometimes deemed as cheap labour - but that is changing now," he said.
"Employers and training providers have put a lot of emphasis on improving apprenticeships. I would encourage any youngster thinking about their future to consider an apprenticeship.
"The ladder has been hugely successful in creating apprenticeships in the Black Country since its inception."
That success has helped to pave way for a new national apprenticeship foundation which is being launched next month.
The Ladder Foundation will oversee the legacy of other regional ladder campaigns around the country - among them are the Ladder for Staffordshire and Ladder for Shropshire - and guide their futures.
It will also run the Ladder for England which is a campaign with a nationwide overview - following the model established by the Ladder for the Black Country.
The Black Country campaign received backing from the Duke of York, Prince Andrew, where he visited to the Express & Star offices four years ago for its launch.
Last year, he hosted a special event at St James's Palace celebrating the success of the campaign where Express & Star and other representatives attended, including Mr Colbourne.
To search for apprenticeships on PTP's website, visit ptp-training.co.uk or for more information on the Ladder, visit www.ladderfortheblackcountry.co.uk
