More young people are to benefit from vital on-the-job training after the borough’s businesses helped smash a target by Haringey Council to create 100 apprenticeships in 100 days – with weeks to spare.
Around 20 organisations have pledged to take on nearly 120 apprentices as part of the council’s Haringey 100 campaign so far – giving an opportunity for aspiring new employees to get experience in a huge range of different trades and learn while they earn.
The recruitment drive is part of the council’s dedicated economic development and growth strategy, which sets challenging targets to help thousands of local people into work and aims to open up new career paths that can be difficult to break into.
Among the traders who have made a pledge is Paul Green, whose electric vehicle and forklift truck firm Hiremech has been a fixture of Tottenham’s Triumph Trading Estate for 20 years.
Paul, whose four apprentices will be working on everything from engineering to staff training, said:
“I’ve always found that young people are full of energy and enthusiasm and want to learn something new.
“I think it’s important to give young people and those who are unemployed a chance, and of the five people we’ve taken on before, four are still here years later.”
The council pledged to take on 20 apprentices to kickstart the project in March, with roles including accounting, IT, digital marketing and website development available.
London lags behind the rest of the country in creating apprenticeships, with 77,130 placements created in 2013/14 – the second fewest in England – despite figures showing three quarters of apprentices successfully start work at the same employer after their placement ends.
Councillor Joe Goldberg, Cabinet Member for Economic Development, Social Inclusion and Sustainability, said:
“Apprenticeships are a critical pathway to real, life-changing opportunities for our young people, giving them a vital chance to get hands-on experience and learn new skills.
“We want to support the aspiration of our residents who want to build a long-term career, and we’re delighted that so many local businesses and organisations share our vision and have risen to the challenge.
“This borough’s talented young people should have access to the huge breadth and depth of careers that this fantastic city has to offer, and our programme will open up options that might otherwise be off-limits – whether it’s engineering, hospitality, artisan food manufacturing or another of Haringey’s booming trades.”
Employers who join the Haringey 100 campaign can apply for up to £3,000 to help fund the placement, along with practical help with recruitment.
Haringey Council has also invested around £500,000 to expand the pioneering Fashion Technology Academy in Haringey, creating nearly 3,000 NVQ qualification places and building skills in the borough’s established textiles industry.
To make a pledge, find out about the roles on offer or for more information, visit our Haringey 100 page.
