Apprenticeships event at Kingsholm

Young people and their parents, employers, training providers, apprenticeship experts and MPs are coming together to create the first Gloucestershire Skillsfest on Thursday 9 February 2012, during National Apprenticeship Week.

The Skillsfest, which is being held at Gloucester Rugby Club, is a day-long programme of events designed to inspire and inform businesses and youngsters to take up apprenticeships.

Beginning with a Business Breakfast, smaller businesses will hear how the Apprenticeship scheme works with contributions from a local employer and apprentice, and from Ian Mean, Editor in Chief of Gloucestershire Media and a prominent advocate of apprenticeships. A seminar for some of the county's larger businesses will be addressed by Chris Grayling, Minister for Employment, Richard Graham, MP for Gloucester, and Terry Chappell from the National Apprenticeship Service. There will also be opportunities throughout the day to "Meet the Apprentice" and a briefing aimed at parents/carers to help them understand more about apprenticeships.

Terry Chappell is part of the team responsible for the event. He says:

"Last year we ran a very successful Apprenticeship Jobs Fair, but this year we decided to think bigger and embrace the 'past, present and future' of apprenticeships. We'll have people who have already been training as apprentices and employers operating successful schemes giving their inside view; live current vacancies so that jobseekers can talk directly to employers that are seeking apprentices now; and we'll be whetting the appetite of youngsters still at school, who may be apprentices of the future, encouraging them to 'have a go' at a new skill.

Throughout the day there will be an exhibition from local training providers and employers who run apprenticeships explaining what's involved, the process, funding, employer incentives, and plenty of opportunities to hear directly from apprentices and their managers. Our aim is to inspire businesses to create apprenticeship roles in their organisations, inform them how to do it, and get them started on a path that can bring fresh talent into their company and stimulate long term growth.

We also want to excite young people about the opportunities to learn as they earn. The scope of apprenticeships is vast and caters for every level of education from the equivalent of GCSEs to degree standard, across a diverse range of sectors and types of organisation."

The Gloucestershire Skillsfest has been organised by a collaboration of local businesses, training providers, GFirst and the National Apprenticeship Service.

For details of the day's programme visit www.GlosSkillsfest.co.uk or email glosskillsfest@apprenticeships.gov.uk or call 01242 500 009