Hundreds of young people get involved in National Apprenticeship Week

Caption: Apprentices are joined by Councillor Keith Wakefield and Councillor Lucinda Yeadon on the steps of Leeds Town Hall.



Hundreds of young people in Leeds took their first step on the road to a new career during National Apprenticeship Week.



During two events last week organised by the Leeds Apprenticeship Hub, more than 560 local young people, including pupils from 16 of the city’s high schools, got information and guidance from employers and training providers.



The apprenticeship fairs at Armley Leisure Centre and the Hope Mega Centre also featured 77 exhibitors, with Mears, BAE Systems Applied Intelligence, the Marriott Hotel chain and the Army among those promoting apprenticeships.



The week also included the prestigious Leeds Apprenticeship Awards, which recognised the accomplishments of some of the city’s hard-working apprentices and their employers.



And as part of the week’s celebrations, more than 90 apprentices working on the £140m a year council housing repair and improvements regeneration project gathered at Leeds Town Hall.



Working across 10 different trades, they are employed by Leeds City Council, Keepmoat and Mears.



Councillor Lucinda Yeadon, Leeds City Council’s executive member for digital and creative technologies, culture and skills, said:



“This year’s National Apprenticeship Week was another huge success and every year we’re seeing more and more young people in Leeds coming along to our events to find out more about apprenticeships and the hundreds of opportunities they can lead to.



“As well as rewarding those who have already accomplished so much, it’s fantastic that we’ve also been able to offer so many young people the crucial, face-to-face guidance and information they need to potentially become the apprentices of the future.”



Apprenticeships are available in 1,500 jobs covering 170 sectors including admin, law, accountancy, construction, engineering and health and social care.



They offer the chance to earn while you learn across a wide range of job roles through a mix of on and off-the-job training and can offer another route to gaining a university qualification.



Leeds usually has more than 200 apprenticeship vacancies available at any one time, with many top employers advertising opportunities.



For more information on apprenticeships, visit www.leedspathways.org.uk or telephone the Leeds Apprenticeship Hub on 07712 214 916.



Alternatively, email leeds.apprenticeship.hub@leeds.gov.uk



ENDS



For media enquiries, please contact:



Stuart Robinson

Communications Officer

Leeds City Council

Tel: 0113 224 3937

Email: stuart.robinson@leeds.gov.uk

www.leeds.gov.uk