New apprenticeship to launch
Thanet College, in partnership with training provider JTL and Kent County Council, is launching a brand-new gold standard Electrical Installation apprenticeship that is due to start in September 2012.
This programme will give more students than ever before the opportunity to take their first steps into their chosen career.
This is the first time that apprenticeships like this have been offered in Thanet, with apprentices getting the chance to train within the College’s brand-new electrical workshop, whilst gaining skills for the future and working in a real job.
The new programme is highly effective for employers as for the first time they can take on electrical apprentices that are trained locally. In addition, Thanet College will be launching an electrical pre-apprenticeship course which aims to give young people a head start in the job market, and it’s free for anyone that is 16-18 years old.
Mark Syrett, JTL’s Regional Manager for the South East, thinks the programme will be a great opportunity for everyone involved. “We’ve been really lucky to work with some amazing young people in our region. All the staff at Thanet College, and my team and I are looking forward to working with new employers to get the September intake started into the industry,” he said.
Stewart Haywood, Head of Technology at Thanet College added: “We’re really excited to be able to offer these new courses, and hope to be able to help a lot of young people make their first steps towards promising careers in electrical and building services engineering.”
Thanet College’s Principal Graham Razey said the initiative will be fantastic for the local area. “We are delighted to be working in partnership with JTL and KCC on this important new initiative which will mean that, for the first time, employers will be able to take on locally trained electrical apprentices with the right skills to contribute to the local economy. As a college, we are committed to putting practical skills on a level playing field with academic prowess and our new gold standard Electrical Installation apprenticeship is an important step forward in this direction. Thanet College has made substantial investment in new facilities and these students will be among the first to benefit.”
The partnership aims to help young people to get back on their feet and make a difference to the building services engineering sector. Latest figures show that in Thanet alone, there are 1,585 18-24 year olds claiming Job Seekers allowance, with 14.8% of all under 25s in Thanet currently looking for work.
Thanet College has recently been awarded a £2million grant from the Skills Funding Agency to build a brand new, state-of-the-art Centre for Environmental Technologies. Dedicated to the training of renewable technologies and building services engineering, the development will include a new electrical facility. From there, JTL will deliver a gold-standard assessment service, guiding and mentoring apprentices throughout their training. With JTL’s support, 77.9% of all apprentices that start training in the South East successfully qualify as approved Electricians, above the national pass rate of 68.4% for all electrotechnical apprentices.
Wayne Gough, Employment Programme Manager for Kent County Council praised the new programme. “Apprenticeships are an excellent way for young people to enter the world of work, whilst at the same time developing the skills that employers are looking for. Kent County Council are keen to help local businesses to recruit young people, and have recently launched a £2 million grant fund aimed at reducing costs for employers offering apprenticeships,” he said.
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