BLOG: Apprenticeship campaign a lifeline to a lost generation

Here at Artemis we too are promoting the cause of apprentices through our clients Cammell Laird and separately Scientiam , the work-based learning provider.
Why does it matter? Young people are being battered by the recession, they are sadly, the hardest hit. What is the evidence? Fact. Youth unemployment is now at the highest level since 1993 and since the recession began, unemployment among under-25s has risen from 700,000 in February 2008, to 928,000 this June. The jobless rate for those aged 16 to 24 who are actively seeking work is now nearly one in five.
But a lot can be done to help youngsters. It is within the business community's power to change things, hence the Daily Post's vital campaign.
So if you are an employer, why not consider taking on an apprentice?  It is not as costly or as disruptive as you may think.
Cammell Laird shipyard is a terrific example of what can be achieved. This year it will take its number of apprentices more than 50.
I know just how important the programme is to the management team and the future skills base of the yard. The management led by John Syvret passionately believes that the resurgent Cammell Laird should reclaim its role as a jobs creator for Merseyside. Last year it pumped more than £33m into the local economy and employed more than 1500 workers including contractors.
The yard is training the next generation of shipyard workers through the neighbouring Maritime and Engineering College North West.
The intensive mentor-led programme gives these talented teenagers hope, pride and purpose in their young lives and the skills to build a career and sustain a family. When you meet them decked out in their red overalls, their hands and faces gloriously smudged, opportunity shines from their eyes.
This is what it is all about: mutually beneficial learning for employee and employer.

Click here to learn more about the Daily Post's apprenticeships campaign

Ben Pinnington is director of Wirral PR firm Artemis