A campaign to increase the number of businesses taking on apprentices is being backed by Birmingham Chamber of Commerce Group at a special event next month. David Way, chief executive of the National Apprenticeship Service, will speak at the event to be held at Birmingham Metropolitan College on Thursday, July 26. He said: “We want to rid businesses in our area of some of the myths we read about the recruitment of apprentices and replace that with facts. Employers will be encouraged to take up the offer of one-to-one ‘surgeries’ with National Apprenticeship Staff as part of the event. “For many businesses, the recruitment of apprentices is the starting point for boosting productivity and efficiency. It also develops the very latest skills sets, drives business growth and workforce motivation.” The Chamber’s Vice-President Steve Brittan, managing director of BSA Machine Tools, is taking one of his apprentices to the event to share their experiences. And Clara Kenyon, director of customers, curriculum and qualifications at OCR, one of the UK’s leading providers of apprenticeships and part of the University of Cambridge, will talk about the value of qualifications. Jerry Blackett, Birmingham Chamber’s chief executive, said: “I am delighted to be offering this excellent, free event to our members. The Chamber fully supports the apprenticeship programme and I hope as many of our members will support it as possible.”
