Council Leader welcomes apprenticeships boost

Councillor Christopher Akers-Belcher was speaking on the day the Tees Valley Combined Authority announced a new drive to accelerate the number of high quality apprenticeships.

It follows a successful scheme which helped support over 1,000 apprentices throughout the Tees Valley in the last year.

The new push will particularly support small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) who create apprenticeships in the following sectors:

• Advanced Manufacturing;
• Process, chemicals and energy;
• Logistics;
• Health and biologics;
• Digital and creative;
• Culture and leisure; and
• Business and professional services.

Councillor Christopher Akers-Belcher, who is also the Combined Authority’s Cabinet Member for Education, Employment and Skills, said: “I wholeheartedly welcome this new drive to support apprenticeships.

“The devolution of the Apprenticeship Grant for Employers to the Combined Authority has created significant opportunities for apprenticeships and brought significant benefits for local businesses and this scheme aims to build on that success.

“We are creating more quality apprenticeships for our young people and providing employment and learning opportunities which will boost the economic prosperity of the area.

“By taking responsibility locally we are transforming the apprenticeship programme so that it meets the area’s needs and putting more focus on higher and degree-level apprenticeships that provide practical progression to higher skilled jobs.

“I sincerely hope that Tees Valley businesses will continue to play their part in creating apprenticeship opportunities that the young people of our area so richly deserve.”

The initiative will also see support offered to smaller companies taking on apprentices aged 19-24 for the first time.

The 1,000 new apprentices created at over 750 companies in 2016/17 resulted in the Tees Valley becoming one of the fastest growing areas in the country for apprenticeships.