‘Pass the torch’ apprenticeship campaign begins

Prime Minister David Cameron has attended the first of four apprenticeship events being held in Thames Valley in a bid to boost apprenticeships in the area.

The touch symbolises the passing of knowledge from one generation to the next and will appear at various business events during February and March. The campaign will offer employers the opportunity to showcase their commitment to achieving three million apprenticeships by 2020, by pledging to recruit apprentices.

Sue Husband, director of the National Apprenticeship, said: “Good quality apprenticeships offer a fantastic way for many young people to earn as they learn whilst providing employers with the skills they need for their business.”

Husband maintained that the torch campaign enabled employers and their apprenticeships to ‘step into the spotlight’ during National Apprenticeship Week (running 14-18 March) to exhibit the value an apprenticeship can offer.

The campaign will see an Olympic-style torch travel across Southern England in the run up to 14 March, and praises the extraordinary talent of apprentices.

Husband added: “Our ambition is for the torch to encourage pledges from employers to take on apprentices - to see businesses thrive and to give young people the skills and jobs our economy needs.”