Local employers draw on college expertise

Employers were invited to find out more about apprenticeships at a special employers’ evening held at MidKent College’s Medway Campus in Kent in support of National Apprenticeship Week.

The event enabled local business owners to explore the opportunities apprenticeships can bring, as well as to receive up-to-date information on the apprenticeship services provided by the college –one of the top apprenticeship training providers in the South East.

Co-directors of Medway-based company Take Care Home Help, Julie Hunter and Anita Willoughby, were among a number of local employers keen to find out more about the benefits apprentices can bring. Ms Willoughby said: “We’re looking for more information on the advantages of taking on an apprentice - perhaps not for now, but for in the near future.

“We are a relatively young company so we’re adapting our infra-structure as we go. We would most certainly benefit from the administrative and IT support an apprentice could offer us.”

Assistant principal at the college, Peter Webb, said: “MidKent College is committed to providing a professional training service that is responsive to the needs of local companies. Central to this is the delivery of high-quality training for apprentices across an increasingly broad range of business sectors.”

MidKent College offers apprenticeships designed around individual business needs, and provides companies with specialist skills training that will enable them to keep pace with the latest technology and working practices in their sector.

Key to the service the college provides is the development of the young people who can enable a business to grow. Head of business development at the college, Jacqui Brown, said: “Apprentices are eager, motivated, flexible and loyal to the company that invests in them. What’s more, apprenticeships offer a sound investment. Many employers report that training apprentices is more cost-effective than hiring skilled staff.”

Employers who would like to find out more about hiring an apprentice should call Carole Carter at the college on 01634 383133.