You’re hired! Get ready for apprenticeship opportunities on your doorstep

Apprentice Surgery: Wednesday 12 August 10am-4pm

Huntingdonshire is spearheading the region’s return to growth, and with the end of the school year, local partners and businesses want to open the door of opportunity to young people.

Local training provider West Anglia Training Association have been working with the EDGE partnership supporting a range of local businesses in recent months to take on apprenticeships across a range of growth sectors. These include:

• Engineering • Construction• Scaffolding • Highways• Composites: creating and using lightweight materials for cars, aircraft and a range of uses.

And the opportunities start soon! So the partners have organised a special drop-in apprenticeship surgery on Wednesday 12 August for people to find out more and hopefully sign up.

Nigel Donohue, CEO of WATA, said:

“There are some great opportunities for young people to get their feet on the ladder of growth industries. One of the reasons WATA have been awarded funding and support for the Highways Academy, is that the industry is desperately short of skilled workers and with a massive investment in road-building and infrastructure planned over the next 10 years, it’s a good career to get into. Likewise, we have been working with contractors working up at Alconbury Weald, who have up to 20 years of infrastructure and construction ahead of them. They want young blood, new skills and we know Huntingdon has plenty of that to offer.”

WATA have been working with EDGE – a new private and public partnership which brings together local authorities, schools, training providers including Huntingdon Regional College and the Jobcentre, with businesses which have current or future needs for skilled workers. As well as a jobs brokerage service, EDGE provides a one-stop service for local people to access careers advice, access to training, and support for CV writing and interview practice. For businesses it provides options for training needs analysis, advice on business growth and support to recruit the right people. The partnership emerged from a skills project focused on Alconbury Enterprise Campus and has been supported by developers Urban&Civic, the District and County Council, the LEP and Huntingdon Regional College to ensure current and future businesses have the skilled workforce they need, and that local people benefit from the growth planned for this area.

Cllr Roger Harrison, portfolio holder for Economic Development at Huntingdonshire District Council, said:

“The District Council has been working very hard with local businesses to facilitate their training needs: creating apprenticeships that service their needs while creating job opportunity for young people.  The event on the 12th will give young people access to the local apprenticeships on offer coupled with supportive assistance from EDGE advisers”

Rebecca Britton, from Urban&Civic who are founder members of the Partnership, added:

“We know there will be a lot of young people just left school, enjoying the summer, but also wondering about what opportunities are out there for their future: and the answer is lots! There are hundreds of apprenticeships currently on the books right across the district and these are just a flavour.  Young people – and their parents - coming along on Wednesday can get a range of support from CV writing, and interview advice, to careers guidance and real information about apprenticeship vacancies which need filling. Someone signing up next week could be starting their new career in September.”

The surgery will also include Huntingdon Regional College who have approximately 22 apprenticeship opportunities of which include Business Administration, Child care, Hairdressing, Engineering, Motor Vehicle and Carpentry.  The day is just one of a series of events that EDGE are involved in, and much of the drive for the partnership has been to ensure a long term programme of support and events for young people, schools, local residents and businesses, which put skills and job opportunities at the heart of the growth agenda.

The Drop-in session will be held at the newly refurbished EDGE, in St Benedict’s Court, Huntingdon Town Centre and run from 10am-4pm on Wednesday 12 August.

For more information contact: Julie Drummond 01480 388459 or email info@sharperskills.co.uk