BUSINESSES, schools and politicians in our region are being urged to work more closely together to remove the barriers to young people succeeding in the workplace.
New research from Barclays reveals 69% of secondary school pupils in the North East are worried they will never be able to achieve their career goals due to a lack of opportunities.
In a bid to tackle the issue, the bank has launched a new programme, called LifeSkills, which aims to give thousands of young people in our region practical work experience. Over the next two years, the curriculum-linked education programme aims to equip one million young people nationally with the skills they need for the workplace.
Karen Swainston, Barclays’ head of corporate affairs for the North East, said: “We face a major challenge in supporting our young people to make the transition from education into the world of work.
“This challenge has never been greater for modern western economies like the UK, where the employment landscape is radically different and much more competitive compared to 30 years ago. The opportunities we provide now to our young people in Newcastle for them to shape and realise their aspirations will have a profound impact on our economy and society.
“This is why we are launching LifeSkills in collaboration with business, government and education providers, to transform the opportunities open to young people.”
From April, North East teachers will be able to access a range of free resources designed to develop the skills employers look for in young people, covering topics such as writing a CV, managing money and building self-confidence. After completing the modules in class or online, teachers can then match students to local work experience opportunities.
To help as young people access the resources, sessions will also be held in Barclays branches across the region later this year. Barclays is also teaming up with other businesses, including Waitrose and McDonald’s, to offer work experience roles to 14 to 16-year-olds.
NHS trust’s drive to appoint 50 new apprentices
NORTHUMBRIA Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust has announced a recruitment drive to appoint 50 new apprentices.
The 50 new recruits will join apprentices already employed by Northumbria Healthcare as part of the Trust’s plans to expand its apprentice scheme and recruit 300 NHS apprentices in the next two years. They will work in hospitals, community services and office environments right across Northumberland and North Tyneside.
Jim Mackey, chief executive of Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, said: “Young people have a great deal to offer the NHS and we are absolutely committed to opening up more opportunities for young people to join our apprenticeship schemes in North Tyneside and Northumberland.
“Increasing access to work opportunities for young people is a real priority for us and becoming an apprentice is an excellent way of undertaking work-based learning, gaining hands-on experience and working towards a formal qualification in a supportive learning environment.
“We cover one of the largest geographical areas of any NHS Trust in the country and young people have a really valuable contribution to make to our local services. Today’s announcement of 50 new opportunities is really just the start of a wider campaign.” For more on apprenticeships with Northumbria Healthcare call Davina Cooper on 0191 203 1873 or email learninganddevelopment@northumbria.nhs.uk
Everything's rosy for TyneMet College's gardening apprentices
A NORTH East college has teamed up with one of the region’s most popular attractions to offer an apprenticeship for green-fingered students.
Three students at TyneMet College are studying a level two apprenticeship in horticulture and are gaining hands-on experience with The Alnwick Garden in Northumberland.
The apprentices, Simon Grimwood, 24, from South Shields, Tony Lawson, 26, from Durham City and Joel Dibb, 19, from Alnwick, have been working at The Alnwick Garden since December and are taught their trade by head gardener Trevor Jones.
Mr Jones said: "As employers we are keen to employ young people from the local area who have an interest in horticulture.
"By offering them an apprenticeship we can teach them the technical skills involved in horticulture alongside offering them real hands-on working experience.
"We run the apprenticeship programme with TyneMet College because they offer us a flexible mode of delivery that we could fit in to our yearly planning schedule.
"By training the apprentices in-house we can ensure that the teaching they receive meets the high standard of gardening and horticulture techniques and practices required by anyone working in the Alnwick Garden."
He added: "Our relationship with TyneMet College is working really well, and we will definitely be in discussions in the near future to deliver more apprenticeship programmes with TyneMet."
Jon Vincent, chief executive and principal at TyneMet College, said: "We are delighted to be able to work with such prestigious organisations as The Alnwick Garden.
"The apprentices will be able to draw on this unique training experience for the rest of their lives. The aim of an apprenticeship programme is to provide young people with the necessary trade skills and training to enable them to be able to function in a specialist industry or trade.
"These apprentices are learning from horticulture specialists who have many years’ experience of working in the industry and who are keen to share their knowledge and help young people to progress."
He added: "The apprenticeship programmes are running well, with TyneMet delivering not only the theory teaching but also supporting Trevor and his team with the practical side of the programme."
For more information about apprenticeship programmes at TyneMet College, call 0191 229 5179 or email business@tynemet.ac.uk.
