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Calling all budding apprentices!
You are never too old to learn. That’s the message from Employment and Learning Minister Sir Reg Empey.
 He’s just launched a new initiative called ApprenticeshipsNI. It’s a new ‘all age’ Apprenticeship provision, which comes into effect from 1 September, and is aimed in particular at the over 24’s.
“For some time there has been a recognised demand from the various Sector Skills Councils to remove the age restriction, previously 16-24 years, for Apprenticeship training,” Sir Reg has been telling Plant & Civil Engineer.
“My Department has listened and I hope that the introduction of the all age Apprenticeship from September 2008 will increase future demand, particularly from those over 24 years of age.”
And he’s urging employers to make it their business to find out how investing in their workforces through Apprenticeship Training can reap tangible and lucrative rewards by improving productivity, raising skills standards, and improving the quality of customer service.
“It is evident that by investing in our employees through the delivery of well structured and tailored training, we can realise a truly skilled workforce. Everyone reaps the benefits; employees, companies, and ultimately the wider economy. ApprenticeshipsNI will further enable employers to develop and enhance the skills of their workforce.
“Apprenticeships are not new, but they are rapidly becoming the preferred way of learning for many people. Currently in Northern Ireland almost 8,000 people are following Apprenticeship frameworks in a diverse range of occupational areas. With a government target of 10,000 apprentices by 2010 the Department is well on its way to achieving this challenging target.”
Many employers are still unaware of the high number of Apprenticeship frameworks available, even within their own sector. The Department’s ApprenticeshipsNI website currently details around 100 frameworks across a range of occupational areas of apprenticeship. These are delivered by Suppliers contracted to deliver Level 2 and 3 frameworks.
More information on apprenticeships can be found on www.apprenticeshipsni.info or by calling the ApprenticeshipsNI Freephone helpline on Tel: 08000 854573.
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