A council scheme aimed at helping organisations recruit local apprentices launched on Wednesday.
Organisations that join the Hackney Apprenticeship Network will receive training in how to nurture young apprentices, as well as potential grants from Hackney Council for setting up their own apprenticeship schemes.
They will also be given contact details of the 1,000 Hackney residents who each year express interest in undertaking apprenticeships .
The scheme has the potential to be particular popular since a quarter of Hackney is under the age of 20 as of January last year, according to the council.
The Mayor of Hackney, Philip Glanville – who spoke at Wednesday’s launch of the scheme – thanked all attendees said he has planned to launch it since he became Mayor in 2016.
“We’ve undertaken a rich seam of case studies to make sure [the scheme] develops the wealth of talent that the borough of Hackney has to offer,” he said.
The Hackney Apprenticeship Network is the brainchild of the Hackney Council and Invest in Hackney, a council-funded scheme which aims to support the borough’s businesses and help them network with each other.
According to the Invest in Hackney website, organisations that choose to launch their own apprenticeship schemes will receive detailed training in creating job descriptions, contracts, and identifying the right qualifications. They will also receive increased opportunities to offer their apprentices shadowing and secondment placements with other employers.
Alex Jacobs, Programme manager of Employment and Skills at Hackney Council, also welcomed the scheme’s launch.
“I am proud of everyone here who has helped make this happen,” he said. “The Mayor and the Council have made an invaluable contribution to getting the Network up and running. It’s about sharing and celebrating, but it’s also about raising the quality of apprentices in Hackney.
“We are looking to recruit not just Hackney residents, but school leavers, too.”
Mayor Glanville reiterated that the scheme was not only aimed at youngsters or school leavers.
He said: “The apprentices we already have in Hackney range in age from 16 to 53. We also take on university graduates.
“Of course, the Network will aim to pair apprentices with employers who traditionally offer apprenticeships – plumbers, builders and so on. But we also offer apprenticeships in less traditional areas, ranging from paralegal apprenticeships to apprenticeships in data analysis.”
This week is the twelfth National Apprenticeship Week in the UK. According to the government, the week – which is wholly government-funded – aims to highlight the number and range of apprenticeships available in a huge variety of sectors, including aviation engineering, nursing, finance and policing.
The launch event also saw awards given to various training providers in the borough, including tutors and apprentice managers.
One winner, Tom Allen, was described by one of his apprentices as someone who “rekindled their quest for learning” and as someone who “makes learning a pleasure” .
The scheme’s launch comes at a time of thriving business and employment in the borough.
According to Hackney Council, the number of businesses in Hackney has increased by 61 per cent since 2010, and the number of people claiming unemployment benefits in the borough fell by 10,600 between 2000 and 2016.
