Shrewsbury MP Daniel Kawczynski has joined the chairman of the town’s Salop Leisure caravan dealership in calling on Shropshire businesses to employ young apprentices.
During a visit to Salop Leisure’s headquarters at Emstrey, the Conservative MP commended chairman Tony Bywater for the company’s apprenticeship programme.
“I congratulate Salop Leisure and Tony Bywater for taking the initiative to recruit their own apprentices and I hope other successful Shropshire businesses will look to follow this example,” he said.
“I am proud to be part of a Government that is committed to increasing the number of apprentices. The Government has also increased the number of incentive payments for employers to take on apprentices.
“There will now be 20,000 extra incentive payments worth £1,500 each for employers to take on young apprentices. This takes the total number of payments available next year to 40,000.”
Salop Leisure currently employs eight apprentices and advocates placing them with experienced members of staff who can share their knowledge, skills and life experiences.
“We have always believed in training and developing our own young people who get to know the business from an early age, take pride in it and turn out to be valuable assets to the company,” said Mr Bywater, a Shropshire Council business ambassador.
“Apprenticeships are a wonderful way of recruiting young people and moulding and training them to your company’s high standards. They provide a tremendous opportunity for young people to earn and learn at the same time, as opposed to going to university and building up debts that will take years to clear.
“I personally believe that it’s the duty of all employers in Shropshire to look for ways to give young people an opportunity to work, which will benefit their businesses in the long term.”
For more information on Salop Leisure, call 01743 282400.
