Wiltshire College extends apprentice campaign after falling short of target (From The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald)

Wiltshire College extends apprentice campaign after falling short of target

10:40am Wednesday 16th May 2012 in Wiltshire By Chris Melvin

Wiltshire College has announced it will extend its 100 in 100 apprenticeship campaign after failing to hit the original target.

The campaign, run by the college’s Wiltshire Enterprise business wing, aimed to recruit 100 apprentices to businesses within 100 days.

Day 100 falls this Friday, with the total currently standing at 40 apprentices who have been found jobs.

Following on from last year’s successful campaign which reached its target on day 100, this year the going has been tough, with less recruitment in general in the region which has had an effect on businesses hiring apprentices.

The apprenticeship team at Wiltshire Enterprise have made the decision to extend the campaign until the 100 target is reached, allowing more time to promote the benefits of apprenticeships to both individuals and businesses.

Apprenticeship manager Jo Brewer said: “I think that it is important for us to continue to strive to meet the target of recruiting 100 apprentices as quickly as possible and to share this with the local communities in which we serve.

“Whilst the economic climate has changed dramatically since our last 100 in 100 campaign, the benefits of apprenticeships have remained the same and we need to continue to educate people and spread the word about how apprenticeships really work.”

There are 48 businesses who have expressed a firm interest in hiring an apprentice, and there are currently 10 Wiltshire Enterprise apprenticeship job vacancies posted on the national apprenticeship matching website.

For campaign updates visit www.loveapprenticeships.com or follow @WiltsEnterprise