Employers and young people in Tamworth and the surrounding area are among the first nationwide to benefit from a new IT apprenticeship, thanks to a partnership between BT, training provider, NITP Tamworth, and the National Skills Academy for IT.
32 apprentices working for 25 employers in the local area – including Autoquip, Moss Office Supplies, Croft IT, Titus Interiors, Imagaprint, Gen 2 Systems, Factory Master, Drayton Manor and Aldi – have already started on the National Skills Academy for IT Gold Standard Apprenticeship. It is based on new quality standards that make sure apprentices get the skills businesses need today.
Training provider, NITP Tamworth, and its partner, South Staffordshire College, are delivering these apprenticeships, with the apprenticeship framework delivery being quality assured by BT.
This partnership, in conjunction with the Skills Academy, will ensure these new apprentices benefit from high quality training aligned to specific job roles and personal development support to help them integrate seamlessly into their new working environment.
Peter Marples, Director, NITP says: “Apprenticeships are a cost effective way for smaller firms to recruit, develop and retain new staff, and a great route into IT for school leavers.
“We’re now offering apprenticeship training of the same quality as a world class business like BT, attracting the brightest young people and helping them thrive in the fast growing IT industry.”
Karen Price OBE, CEO of e-skills UK, adds: “We are delighted that, through this new partnership with NITP Tamworth and BT, 32 new jobs for young people have been created in the local area.”
“By making the recruitment of apprentices by smaller organisations in Tamworth an easier and more attractive option, we are helping them develop the skilled workforce needed to drive their businesses forward.”
With another apprenticeship intake planned for January 2013, local employers that are interested in recruiting an apprentice can visit NITP Tamworth, Croft Street, on Thursday 6 December at 12pm to find out more.
You can register to attend or receive further information by contacting Cath Harvey, Academy Manager, on 01827 304 444 or emailing tamworth@nitp.co.uk.
Notes to Editors
About the National Skills Academy for IT The National Skills Academy for IT is an independent and not-for-profit organisation, guided by major IT employers. We exist for the good of the whole IT sector to promote excellence in IT professional learning and development. The IT Skills Academy is led by e-skills UK, the Sector Skills Council for Business and Information Technology. www.itskillsacademy.ac.uk

We are delighted to announce that we have successfully achieved the first milestone in relation to the development of the Gold Standard Project. Over 100 Apprentices were enrolled by the end of October and all found work.

They will be gaining valuable experience at work with many additional features to their programme compared with traditional Apprenticeship routes

Hayley Pritchett – project manager on the Gold Standard project said ‘ we are delighted to have hit this milestone. We are working hard to find the next 100 Apprentices work opportunities by the 31stJanuary. If you are interested in becoming an Apprentice or you are an employer interested in participating in the project, please contact us’

More information can be found on www.nitp.co.uk

3AAA welcomes the report published yesterday by the House of Commons, Business, Innovation and Skills Committee which calls for a greater clarity on Apprenticeship Programmes. We particularly welcome the challenge that Shorter more focussed Apprenticeships can in circumstances provide an appropriate pathway for more able learners and a one size fits all approach to Apprenticeship duration may not be the way forward. We also endorse the recommendations that steps should be taken to avoid conflicts of interest with those providers who are also in control of awarding bodies. There is no doubt that Apprenticeship do provide value for money to the public purse and that employer themselves add significantly in terms of the time and commitment afforded to supporting Apprenticeships. We endorse the recommendation that more should be done to measure the value of these employer inputs.

Whilst there is great noise in the system at the moment about placing employers more directly in receipt of Apprenticeship funding, this has been tried many times before with variable degrees of success. Whilst we acknowledge some large employers have committed greatly to successful Apprenticeship programmes, the commitment of SME’s is often overlooked in the weight of noise in the system. We would commend Government to acknowledge more strongly the commitments made by SME’s to employing and supporting Apprentices.