Vocational learning pilot project for Stevenage

(20th August 2004)

14-year-olds in Stevenage will be among just 1,000 young people nationally that will be able to start a Young Apprenticeship this September.

Following a successful bid by the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) Hertfordshire - the body responsible for funding and planning post-16 education - a pilot Young Apprenticeship scheme will run in Stevenage starting this September for two years. The scheme will be developed and supported in the town through the Stevenage 14-19 Pathfinder.

Young Apprenticeships were announced by Gordon Brown in May as part of the revitalised Apprenticeship programme. An entirely new part of the Apprenticeship framework, they cater for 14 to 16-year-olds who want to pursue industry-specific qualifications while continuing to keep their options open with the core curriculum (e.g. maths, English, science and ICT).

The vocational area of study for the students, who attend Thomas Alleyne School, will be Business Administration and they will be working closely with both North Hertfordshire College and, through links made by Hertfordshire Chamber of Commerce and Industry, local employers.

Ivor Miskelly, the LSC’s Head of Education, said that Young Apprenticeships have the ability to transform the lives of young people and also contribute to the development of skilled individuals capable of answering the county’s skills needs. “They will provide a real opportunity for young people to learn new skills on the job whilst at school and without compromising their core curriculum subjects of English, Maths, Science and ICT.”

The leader of the Pathfinder, Jim Porteous, said, “The Young Apprenticeship scheme is an innovative and exciting way to broaden and enhance young learners’ educational experience; it is for capable students and will provide them with more choice and opportunity at 16+.”

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