Cheshire & Warrington Local Enterprise (Partnership) has appointed Marketing Cheshire to help deliver one of its key priorities for 2012 - The Apprenticeship Promise.
The new venture is designed to encourage businesses to support the apprenticeship agenda across Cheshire and Warrington as the first essential step on the road to achieving the LEP's aim of a skilled and productive workforce.
The LEP has also set up a number of engagement forums harnessing the experience and expertise in the private and public sectors across Cheshire and Warrington to focus the agenda for its key priorities and ensure they are achieved.
Its Skills Engagement Forum has created 'The Apprenticeship Promise', which is designed to encourage businesses across all sectors to support the apprenticeship agenda in Cheshire & Warrington.
The Promise delivers mentoring from larger businesses to SME’s to change the perception that the bureaucracy involved is too complicated.
It also creates channels to market apprenticeships through networks and clusters, enabling potential new employers to become aware of the opportunities and benefits of having an apprentice, as well as encouraging SME's to employ apprentices at levels 3 & 4.
The new initiative is only being developed in Cheshire and Warrington.
Sara Mogel, Skills Lead on theCheshire and Warrington LEP Board says:
'We need business across Cheshire and Warrington to come forward and support The Apprenticeship Promise. We firmly believe that investing in apprenticeships will help us train the skilled workforce of tomorrow, strengthen the long-term sustainability of the sub-regional economy and help our enterprises maintain their competitiveness in global markets'.
The Promise commits the business to sign to 1 or more of 10 elements to support apprenticeships.
Businesses only need to visit www.marketingcheshire.co.uk/apprenticeship and sign up to the initiative, and confirm which elements they agree to support.
Marketing Cheshire will be employing an apprentice to run the initiative and monitor progress.
