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thinking of a career in engineering, EDF Energy offered placements at its Dungeness B power station, which included two years training at the Navy’s HMS Sultan training base, near Portsmouth.
Claire Nicholson-Clinch is regional projects manager for the Association of Colleges in the Eastern Region (ACER), and spearheads Pass the Torch.
She said: “The campaign is asking employers to pledge their commitment to support apprenticeships and traineeships across the eastern region. We’ve seen apprenticeships change lives and know they offer valuable opportunities for young people.
“Businesses find productivity increases and this helps our economy thrive.”
One person who can easily testify to this is Thomas O’Sullivan, a business administration apprentice working for MTS Cleansing Services in Rochester. He was previously studying carpentry but did not enjoy the course. He was approached by MTS to join the company and supports the admin functions within the transport and planning teams.
He is learning new skills including communication and the importance of collecting and recording data in an accurate way.
Staff at MTS knew of Thomas and felt he deserved a chance. He was helped by business advisers at Mid Kent College.
MTS HR manager, Dean Smith said: “We are benefiting from having Thomas – he is enthusiastic and is providing a fresh insight into the way the company carries out day-to-day admin activities.
“His knowledge and understanding of ICT is developing new ways of thinking to take us forward.”
This position is backed up by Paul Andrews, CEO of online jobs broker JobsInKent. com. The keynote speaker at Sandwich’s Discovery Park during a networking event for National Apprenticeship Week in March, believes a key issue facing commerce was a lack of highly trained workers available and said apprenticeships solved the issue.
He said: “University has left a lot of young people burdened with large debts and without the tools required to go into the workplace, while businesses have said that they don’t always need or want these qualifications.
“What they’ve said they want are young people with a good work ethic and attitude. One of the things that solves this problem, as well as the skills shortage, is apprenticeships.”
So against this backdrop, the Pass the Torch campaign is highlighting the sky really is the limit for trainees and businesses. You can find out more at www.passthetorch. uk or by attending Kent Vision LIVE, at the Kent Event Centre, Detling, on May 11, (www.kentvision-live.co.uk) or visiting the Mid Kent College’s employers fair on May 19, at the campus at Medway Road, Gillingham, 01634 383000.