Amid all the interest in Sir Alan Sugar hiring new apprentice Yasmina Siadatan in the BBC reality show, Wiltshire College is taking on more apprentices in a bid to help students beat the credit crunch and find employment.
Ten Wiltshire College students have proved that being an apprentice gives you a good chance of getting a permanent job at the end of it.
A mixture of first and third year students working towards their Apprenticeship NVQ Level 2 or Advanced Apprenticeship NVQ Level 3 have given the Wiltshire Times an insight into their work-based training.
Ryan Walford, 25, of Westbury, is self-employed and is studying bricklaying.
He said: “I’ve been self-employed for the past nine years, mainly in roofing but I’ve also done various other bits and pieces.
“I’ve come to Wiltshire College to gain NVQs as it’s very hard to get work without them – it’s the way the world’s going and there’s a lot of competition out there.
“The course has definitely helped me in both my work and personal life. My eventual goal is to be a bricklaying contractor or property developer.”
His brother, 21-year-old Scott Walford, also of Westbury, hopes to start his own bricklaying business or work in partnership with his brother when he has completed his course.
Marc White, 21, of Trowbridge is doing an apprenticeship in plumbing and is being sponsored by Geoff Thomas & Son Ltd. The course has led to him being given a pay rise.
Nineteen-year-old Daniel Stacey, of Trowbridge, is also studying a plumbing course with support from Ewart Adams & Son and hopes to start his own business one day with the qualifications he will gain.
Adam Elliott, 27, of Southwick is studying bricklaying and is sponsored by Pang Properties.
He said: “Before this course I spent eight years in the building trade in several companies doing different types of building work. I’ve taken the course to gain a qualification and further my abilities in the building trade.”
Seventeen-year-old Blane Clift, of Trowbridge, is in his first year studying carpentry and joinery with sponsorship from Hulbert Brothers, while 17-year-old Bradley Coombs, who is working for the same company, hopes that his qualifications will help him emigrate to Australia to work.
Sam Law, 19, of Melksham, is studying furniture making and has sponsorship from
Mark Wilkinson Furniture, based in Bromham.
He said: “My employers look after me very well, so I’m definitely planning on staying with them after I finish and hopefully work my way up through the company. The best thing about furniture making is seeing the finished product – it gives you a real sense of achievement.”
Andrew Davis, 19, from Urchfont, is also studying furniture making with sponsorship from Smallbone. Although he is facing redundancy, he feels he will have a better chance of getting a job with qualifications.
Ryan Clarke, 19, from Rowde, is studying plumbing with sponsorship from Mark Horobin Plumbing and Heating and hopes to open his own business as a plumbing and heating engineer.
Jo Winslow, work-based learning training co-ordinator for Wiltshire College Trowbridge, said: “The biggest benefit of apprenticeships is the opportunity to work and earn and learn.
“The skills gained in the workplace together with the underpinning knowledge that’s delivered at college means that we are improving the skills of young craftspeople, which will be invaluable for businesses of the future.
“Prospective apprentices shouldn’t be fazed by the current economic climate, there’s still a positive outlook with employers out there willing to take on keen and confident young people who want to learn and work at the same time.”
Apprentices factfile
Wiltshire College is the largest training provider for apprenticeships in Wiltshire with almost 700 apprentices working across 36 different vocational areas, from animal care, rugby, motor vehicle, hairdressing, horticulture to business and agriculture.
The majority of apprenticeship programmes are delivered on a day release basis at Chippenham, Lackham, Salisbury or Trowbridge campuses.
An apprenticeship takes 18 months to two years to complete and leads to a package of qualifications – an NVQ Level 2 (equivalent to five GCSEs at grades A-C), a technical certificate like a BTEC National Diploma or City & Guilds Progression Award and a Key Skills qualification.
There is also the chance to progress to an advanced apprenticeship for those aiming for a technical, supervisory or junior management role.
The minimum wage for an employed apprentice is £95 per week (from August 1, 2009), but it’s possible to earn more, depending on the employer.
Unemployed apprentices can apply for EMA or hardship funding, which is assessed on an individual basis