The Government celebrates National Apprenticeship Week

As well as celebrating National Apprenticeship Week, the government is urging hospitality workers to look at the benefits of their skills and career of becoming an apprentice.

Hospitality businesses are also being urged to start recruiting in the recovery.

New research commissioned through the National Apprenticeships Service and the British Chambers of Commerce shows that more than three in five UK companies plan to recruit this year, while 72% of businesses who currently employ apprentices said they made a positive contribution during the recession.

The good news for young people considering Apprenticeships is that drive and enthusiasm is the trait most prized by employers (83%) while having skills that the business will need in the future is also sought after (71%).

Major UK employers are expecting to hire thousands of apprentices in 2010 and the government is encouraging all businesses to take up the new Apprentice Grant for Employers (AGE) scheme offering a £2,500 grant for each 16 or 17-year-old apprentice taken on.

Business minister Pat McFadden said: "For so many businesses to be planning to recruit in 2010 is good news for the whole economy. It shows employers increasingly recognise the benefits they get from hiring apprentices. Undertaking an apprenticeship is a great way of learning a trade and gaining vocational experience."

Brian Wisdom, chief executive of People 1st, added: "Apprentices are the lifeblood of the hospitality sector which is continually seeking new and talented people who, with the right aptitude and skills, can quickly rise through the ranks whichever area they choose to specialise in."

Morrisons will be creating more than 20,000 Apprenticeships in the next year, and offers training in Bakery, Butchery and Retail Skills, at level 2 (equivalent to five good GCSEs).

Words: Maria Bracken

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