The campaign is hoping to gather 300 pledges in 100 days from businesses to take on an apprentice. At the launch event George was joined by various businesses and employers in the area who discussed the advantages of apprenticeships both for young people and the businesses they work for, as well as how many lead to future full time employment.
The campaign is backed across Cornwall by all of its 6 MPs as well as the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Local Enterprise Partnership.
An added incentive for businesses to take on an apprentice is the Apprenticeship Grant for Employers (AGE), available for eligible businesses who take on a young apprentice aged 16-24. These grants are worth £1,500 to employers – providing they employ less than 1,000 staff and have not taken on an apprentice in the last 12 months. The new campaign, involving the Cornwall Training Provider Network and the National Apprenticeship Service, will encourage employers to take advantage of these grants.
George said: ‘‘I fully support Cornwall Apprenticeships and wish it the best of luck for its challenging aim of getting 300 more apprenticeship places by March next year. Apprenticeships are a brilliant way of introducing young people to work and teaching them the vital skills they need in different trades and they often lead to jobs in the future. I hope local businesses will play a big role in this important campaign.”
The Cornwall Apprenticeships website www.cornwallapprenticeships.com acts as the gateway to great Apprenticeships in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly with details of the Apprenticeship frameworks available in Cornwall and current Apprenticeship jobs in the county.