The Apprentice is back — but a long way from the boardroom
PPRENTICESHIPS HAVE RISEN i n popularity as university costs have b e c o me u n a f - fordable to many f a m i l i e s . T h e recent recession saw more than a million 16 to 24-year-olds put out of work, having completed university at £3,000 a term.
More than 150,000 employers are now offering apprenticeships in more than 200,000 locations, according to government figures.
They are pitched at all levels, are available to graduates and nongraduates and cover more than 170 industries and 1,500 roles as diverse as advertising, environmental engineering and nuclear decommissioning. Anyone over 16, living in England and not in full-time education can apply.
Apprenticeships tend to involve a 30-hour week with at least the minimum wage and last for 12 months.
Helping young people find apprenticeships is the work of Resource, the Jewish employment advice centre based in Finchley.
Victoria Sterman, the CEO, says: “They’re a growth area. There is also a big move away from traditional apprentice occupations such as mechanics. Now there’s administration, customer services and working with children and young people, so there is a myriad of careers from which to choose.”
For the past couple of years Jewish Care has offered apprenticeships in human resources and customer services, at its Golders Green offices. A spokesperson says: “It’s a good opportunity to give on-the-job training. We have tried to recruit care apprentices, people who would provide front-line care services. We can teach the mechanics of the job but we can’t teach people to care and that’s crucial. So we have struggled to attract the right people. But if we get the right candidates, we can build the right programme.”
David Hazan is 22 and lives in Golders Green. He went to Menorah Grammar School and then to Hasmonean sixth form. He gained A-levels in biology, psychology and religious studies before going to Mikdash Melech yeshiva in Jerusalem for two and a half years.
“When I came back I found myself