Weston College has successfully met its target of obtaining 100 apprenticeship pledges from local businesses in only 25 days!
On 15th February 2016, the College set a challenging target to encourage business to pledge to create 100 new apprenticeship places, and get 100 people in North Somerset and beyond to register to become apprentices, in just 100 working days.
A total of 115 pledges from 49 businesses from across the South West has been made and the Apprenticeships Team expects that number to continue to soar over the next few months.
The campaign recently received Government backing from Nick Boles MP, Minister of State for Skills. He said: “I am delighted that Weston College launched their campaign on 15th February.
“High quality apprentices are essential to support our employers and to help our economy to prosper in the years to come, which is why we are committed to reaching three million apprenticeship starts in England by 2020.”
John Penrose, MP for Weston-super-Mare, has also contacted Weston College to express support for the campaign. He said: “Not only do students end up with the important skills and knowledge they need to enter the competitive jobs market, but businesses gain access to a pool of students in the midst of their learning who bring a positive attitude and work ethic to the table.”
Tom Holdich, Lead Sales Co-ordinator at Weston College, said: “We have been overwhelmed by the response from employers, however we don’t want people to think that now we’ve met our target that we will be resting on our laurels. The campaign will keep running with the aim to get as many pledges as possible!
“Any company that would like to take part and find out how an apprentice can help grow your business, you haven’t missed out. We still really want to talk you.”
Dr Paul Phillips OBE, Principal and Chief Executive of Weston College, said: “We thought that this target would be a challenging one to meet but I am thrilled by the support and participation from businesses across the South West.
“This campaign has enabled the College to make new relationships with employers and I hope the success continues.”
For further information go to www.weston.ac.uk/100in100 or email business.enterprise.centre@weston.ac.uk or telephone 01934 411 594. The campaign can be followed on Twitter through the hashtag #100in100