£50,000 scheme aims to create 20 manufacturing and engineering apprenticeships in Newton Aycliffe (From The Northern Echo)
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£50,000 scheme aims to create 20 manufacturing and engineering apprenticeships in Newton Aycliffe
11:30am Sunday 10th February 2013 in News
By Lizzie Anderson
A NEW £50,000 scheme aims to create 20 manufacturing and engineering apprenticeships for young people in the Newton Aycliffe area.
Great Aycliffe and Middridge Area Action Partnership (GAMP) has teamed up with Durham County Council’s employability team to offer grants of up to £2,500 to companies who take on an apprentice.
It follows on from a similar scheme last year that proved a great success, creating 11 apprenticeships in a variety of sectors.
This year, GAMP is focusing on manufacturing and engineer opportunities.
The aim is to tackle the high levels of youth unemployment in the area by encouraging and supporting businesses to create employment opportunities that would not otherwise have existed.
Adam White, GAMP coordinator, said employment education and training was one of the partnership’s key priorities.
“This initiative brings together local employers, the Area Action Partnership and colleagues within the council’s employability team with an aim of boosting, not only the job prospects of young people, but the businesses themselves,” he added.
Mr White said the scheme would complement work already being carried out in schools, such as Woodham Academy.
Last year, GAMP joined forces with six major employers to deliver a dragon’s den style competition at the school, where pupils put together a presentation on the benefits of apprenticeships.
The project, which was the first of its kind in the UK, received excellent feedback from employees and pupils, with many youngsters saying it had opened their eyes to careers they would never previously have considered.
Given its success, it is now being delivered at Greenfield Community College.
The National Apprenticeship Services Initiative – an apprenticeship fund for employees aged 16 to 20 - has provided a £30,000 grant for the project.
GAMP has also put forward £10,000 from its area budget and a further grant of £10,000 has been donated from the neighbourhood budget of the late Councillor Enid Paylor.
Coun Paylor died last December and was a keen supporter of young people.
For more information on the project contact GAMP on 01325-327441 or gampaap@durham.gov.uk
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