Next Government must commit to apprenticeships

WHOEVER wins the General election on Thursday, July 4, must commit to the promotion of apprenticeships.

This is the call to all parties from one of the world’s leading training providers that is supporting apprenticeships at different levels and in a wide range of sectors.

Mercuri International has established itself as the sales, leadership and customer service performance experts, providing customized training. With a 60-year track record of improving commercial excellence globally we transform organizations by empowering people to reach their full potential, Mercuri International is recognised as one of the top 10 global training companies by the Training Industry.

Karen Hyde, financial controller of Mercuria International (UK), said:

“Apprentices can make a massive contribution to the success  and economy of UK”

“For employers, they are a way of upskilling staff to make them more productive, engaging new employees of all ages with a route to learning relevant skills, knowledge and behaviours for their chosen career. Apprenticeships also aid employee loyalty and retention.

“Apprentices not only gain the skills that they need but also have the chance to earn as they learn.”

She said that there remains a big challenge in bringing the understanding of apprenticeships into the 21^st century and that this will be a vital task for whoever forms the next Government.

Karen added:

“Too many people still think of traditional trade apprenticeships such as plumbing, brick laying and motor mechanics,”

“These apprenticeships remain important, but apprenticeships now cover a wide range of sectors including financial services, the law, medicine, IT, retail, hospitality and logistics to name but a few. They can also be taken from level two which is equivalent to GSCE pass to level 7, Master’s degree/postgraduate certificate.

“The Prime Minister Rishi Sunak summed it up when he said that it was no use UK or for the individual to run up huge debts that are never going to be repaid for degrees that can have much less value in the jobs market that people are given to believe. This is not to say that some degrees are not good and important but as Mr Sunak has said, apprenticeships should be considered as on the same level as a university degree.

“Apprenticeships have been with us since the 12^th century and have evolved. Unfortunately, the way that they are perceived by too many people remains half a century behind the times.”

An apprenticeship is not only for young people entering the workplace but also for older people looking to advance their careers or making a career change.