Last week, when I opened a new high tech facility in Fordingbridge, I heard a familiar concern from thriving cutting-edge businesses: that the principal restraint on their growth is their inability to secure sufficient skilled workers.
Instead of importing those skilled workers, we need to get back into the habit of training them.
So, congratulations to Hampshire County Council’s apprentices who are successfully through to the finals of the Brathay Apprentice Challenge, a competition searching for the apprentice team of the year. Teams undertake a series of challenges to develop new skills by engaging with young people and businesses to promote the benefits of apprenticeships.
Hampshire’s team have been raising the profile of apprenticeships with presentations in schools, speaking to many young people and employers. The team also embarked on a community project with the aim to encourage young people into employment by showing them how volunteering can increase their employability.
As the team are now through to the National Finals there is one last push to promote apprenticeships as much as possible before they head up to Brathay HQ in Cumbria for 3 days battling it out to see who will be crowned apprentice team of the year 2016.
To see the teams progress and get involved: you can follow them on twitter: @HCCApprentices
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