National Apprenticeship Week is currently taking place, and research shows a greater demand for apprentices

National Apprenticeship Week launched on Monday, with the aim of encouraging more people to consider the benefits to their skills and career of becoming an apprentice.

Major UK employers are expected to hire thousands of apprentices in 2010 and the government is encouraging all businesses to take up the new Apprentice Grant for Employers (AGE) scheme offering a £2,500 grant for each 16 or 17-year-old apprentice taken on.

Business Minister Pat McFadden says: “For so many businesses to be planning to recruit in 2010 is good news for the whole economy. It shows employers increasingly recognise the benefits they get from hiring apprentices. Undertaking an apprenticeship is a great way of learning a trade and gaining vocational experience.

“Skills will be crucial to a strong economic recovery and I urge employers across the country to take the chance apprentices give them to boost their competitiveness, innovation and growth this year.”

New research commissioned through the National Apprenticeships Service and the British Chambers of Commerce shows greater demand for apprentices, with more than three in five UK companies planning to recruit this year, while 62 per cent of businesses who employ apprentices said they made a positive contribution during the recession.

The research also reveals that drive and enthusiasm are the traits most prized by employers (83 per cent) while having skills that the business will need in the future is also sought after (71 per cent).

David Frost from the British Chambers of Commerce says: “The recession has taught us two key things: that businesses’ long-term commitment to investment in their workforce really pays off, and that young people must be effectively brought into employment. Apprenticeship programmes offer both of these factors.

“We would strongly advise our members, and indeed all businesses, to consider apprenticeships as part of their recruitment strategy.”

For further information about apprenticeships visit the Department for Children, Schools and Families website at www.dcsf.gov.uk