Apprentice boost will give even more a leg up onto the ladder
ACAMPAIGN launched to create new apprenticeships in Birmingham and Solihull has won a fresh round of funding to support a next phase of work aimed at creating new jobs in the city region.
The finance from Greater Birmingham and Solihull Local Enterprise Partnership (GBSLEP) will see the Ladder for Greater Birmingham expand on its first two phases in terms of apprenticeship starts, progression onto higher levels and engaging with the black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) communities and schools.
It will also continue to champion the annual apprenticeship awards, run in partnership with our sister website BirminghamLive.
Ladder for Greater Birmingham was created three years ago to showcase apprenticeships and connect individuals, employers and stakeholders, including providers of apprenticeships, to drive the model throughout Greater Birmingham.
It had an initial target of 1,000 new roles which it surpassed before being extended in 2020 since when it has created more than 500 further jobs via apprenticeships through its partners.
It is estimated there are several hundred apprenticeship vacancies throughout the Greater Birmingham area, while the UK Government suggests there could be as many as one million vacancies across the country which desperately need filling.
The Ladder for Greater Birmingham partnership team is working to help fill as many of these as possible and support the region to move forward positively.
Vacancies can be found on the Ladder for Greater Birmingham website, including in key sectors such as hospitality and retail which have been facing huge challenges as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.
The Ladder is also working with logistics employers such as AF Blakemore, Maritime and Pertemps to find a recruit-and-train solution to support the region in finding LGV drivers to address the current shortage.
One of the Ladder’s founder members, Performance Through People, is developing a traineeship programme to prepare candidates for the LGV standard, with those who are successful progressing onto employment via an apprenticeship and sitting the LGV driver test.
The Ladder partnership is also offering IT upskilling opportunities through a digital skills bootcamp which will specialise in digital marketing and software development and web design and an application has been submitted to the Government to run a bootcamp in HGV training as well.
The 16-week programme will work with private providers, schools and colleges to upskill individuals that will result in an interview for a job at the end of the course. With the furlough scheme now finished, the Ladder and GBSLEP are developing a skills academy to ensure any apprentice who has completed 75 per of their programme but lost their job the opportunity to finish it within the academy and be supported to find new employment via the Ladder’s apprenticeship training agency The Apprenticeship Works.
Spencer Wilson, head of skills at GBSLEP, said: “We have been proud to support the Ladder over the past three years and the rewards of this partnership are clear to see.
“We are committed to continuing this support into and beyond phase three and are confident past achievements will be far exceeded at times when they are needed the most.”
Performance Through People’s managing director Rob Colbourne added: “We are absolutely thrilled GBSLEP continues to see the value of the Ladder brand and how it can open doors and inform young and old, male or female, in every community and employed or unemployed.
“There is an apprenticeship option available to you whatever rung in the ladder you are on, from a Level 2 Standard all the way to Level 7, earning as you learn.
“The third phase of the Ladder for Greater Birmingham will also focus on Kickstart and traineeship opportunities that can lead to an apprenticeship.
“It will also support employers with a free training needs’ analysis from the GBSLEP’s Growth Hub as well as build on the recruitment of BAME individuals and support the progression into higher-level apprenticeships.”
Since the Ladder for Greater Birmingham campaign started, it has secured 1,722 apprenticeships against an initial target of 1,500, with 54 per cent above Level 3 against a target of 40 per cent.
Forty per cent of those apprentices have come from BAME communities, against a target of 30 per cent, and it has worked with West Midlands Combined Authority on its own apprenticeship levy transfer scheme.
Other stakeholders in the campaign include Vine Trust, Birmingham and Solihull Training Provider Network and West Midlands Combined Authority.
Robert Halfon MP, chairman of the Education Select Committee and patron of the Ladder Foundation, said: “I see skills and careers advice as the first rung on a ladder of opportunity, one that people will continue to climb throughout their lifetime.
“However, we know this ladder does not come to us pre-assembled.
“It is something that needs to be built, grafted over and shaped to reflect our modern requirements.
“Our job is to be there to hold the ladder and help people to climb up.”
Kevin Davis, chief executive of Vine Trust Group and campaign chairman, said: “As chairman of the Ladder for Greater Birmingham, I’m so pleased to continue our partnership
We know this ladder does not come to us preassembed. It is something that needs to be built, grafted over and shaped to reflect modern requirements Robert Halfon MP
with the GBSLEP as, now more than ever in these challenging times, the collaboration the Ladder facilitates is much needed.
“We will continue to challenge employers to step up to the apprenticeship opportunities, particularly among the untapped talent in many of the region’s diverse communities.
“We will also continue to demystify those opportunities to that emerging workforce, through our campaigns, events and awards.”
To get involved in the campaign visit www.ladderforbirmingham.co. uk or contact the team on 03332 409 699 or by emailing apprenticeships@ ladderforbirmingham.co.uk