North East Apprenticeship Company places first apprentice

03 May 2010

The first apprentice from a Government backed organisation tasked with increasing the number of young people taking up apprenticeships across the region has been placed.

The first apprentice from a Government backed organisation tasked with increasing the number of young people taking up apprenticeships across the region has been placed.

Ryan Thompson, who lives in Gosforth, has been taken on as a 17-year-old apprentice at expanding Swalwell-based domestic and trade kitchen manufacturer D&S Kitchens after being recommended by the North East Apprenticeship Company (NEAC).

The former Gosforth High School pupil, who’s just completed a BTEC course at his local sixth form college, is now set for a new career learning the kitchen manufacturing and distribution business under the expert eye of D&S Kitchens’ owner Steve Hair.

Ryan will be embarking on a three year apprenticeship at the firm which will initially teach him how to design and build kitchen cabinets before learning about other aspects of the industry such as sales and customer service.

His workplace training will be combined with classroom studies – this September he will be starting an NVQ Level II in Joinery on a day-release basis at his local FE college.

The NEAC worked closely with D&S Kitchens to find a suitable apprentice and will be overseeing Ryan’s placement while arranging the training and support required for his apprenticeship.

Ryan said: “After my GCSEs and sixth form I was uncertain about what to do, so I looked into the possibility of learning a trade.

“I’m really excited about joining D&S Kitchens as an apprentice joiner. This will really allow me to kick start my career.

“The NEAC were really helpful. It’s great that there is a service that exists for people like me who want to get on and learn new skills and career.”

Steve Hair, who also owns a construction business, said that Ryan impressed at interview and will become the only apprentice employed in his kitchen company.

He added that the NEAC had been very helpful in finding potential apprentices.

“The NEAC will be providing a good level of ongoing support throughout Ryan’s apprenticeship, which is important as it frees my time and allows me to concentrate on running my business,” he said.

“Because they pre-selected candidates for me to interview, I was able to save a lot of time and money on recruitment. I’ve already recommended them to other people.”

The NEAC has a regional brief to reduce youth unemployment, tackling the skills gap and creating more than 1,000 new apprentice jobs in the next two years, particularly among small and medium enterprises (SMEs).

It will be handling the recruitment, selection of people as well as providing an HR function for all the apprentices and organising the best training with our panel of outstanding providers.

More than 30 North East companies have already signed up with the organisation since its launch while 85 apprentices have registered on its books – many of whom are ready to be placed with regional organisations.

Managing director Paul Champion said: “Congratulations to Ryan. It’s fantastic to have our first apprentice and employer on board – the first of many.

“We are seeing a lot of interest from many local employers who want to invest in young people and see them as key to the future development of their business.”

The NEAC was launched by the former Minister for 14-19 Reform and Apprenticeships Iain Wright MP earlier this year, and has the backing of employers, regional business bodies like the CBI and the Federation of Small Business and the TUC, will be led by managing director Paul Champion.