Apprenticeships given a boost by EEF

The Engineering Employers Federation (EEF), the manufacturers’ organisation, has teamed up with the Department for Business, Innovation & Skills and Apprentice Ambassadors Network to boost the number of employers who provide apprenticeships.

 

The government has announced funding to support an extra 50,000 additional apprenticeships as part of a workforce development strategy.

 

Manufacturing accounts for more than its fair share of apprenticeships, with around one in eight employed in the sector. Research from the Apprenticeship Ambassadors’ Network shows the benefits of taking on apprentices – from staff retention and reduced recruitment costs through to higher levels of productivity and competitiveness.

 

EEF’s Director of Apprentice & Skills, Peter Winebloom, says that training new generations of skilled workers is the key to sustainable economic growth for manufacturers, large or small. Our Manufacturing Outlook survey shows that skill shortages remain a major concern for manufacturing and are in danger of holding back economic recovery. Apprenticeships provide an excellent way for companies to turn the passion and enthusiasm of people – both the young and the more mature - into skills fit for the workplace.”

Members of the Work Place Learning Centre team are available to provide journalists and media organisations with expert comment on all aspects of learning at work.

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