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THE
SEARCH IS ON FOR APPRENTICE AND EMPLOYER OF THE YEAR 2008
THE Learning and Skills Council (LSC)
has begun its search for the nation's top apprentices and employers
with the launch of the Apprenticeship Awards 2008. Employers of all
sizes and from all sectors of industry across Merseyside are being
encouraged to nominate their apprentices for the prestigious Awards.
The Apprenticeship Awards are held annually to celebrate the success
of apprentices who have made a real difference to their future and
to the organisation they work for. They also recognise the work of
employers who are successfully tackling skills shortages to build
their future workforce through Apprenticeships.
Last year's Apprentice of the Year, 22 year old Jonathan Pearson,
said of his award;- "It's brilliant. My Apprenticeship has
given me so much - confidence, success, leadership - and my company
has supported me all the way."
The Apprenticeship Awards are held annually to celebrate the success
of apprentices who have made a real difference to their future and
to the organisation they work for. They also recognise the work of
employers who are successfully tackling skills shortages to build
their future workforce through Apprenticeships.
Speaking at the launch event in London, Skills Minister David Lammy
MP said:- "Apprenticeships are integral to combating the
nation's skills shortages. They stimulate innovation, give
businesses the skills they need and provide opportunities for
individuals to fulfil their potential. The government has recently
announced that there will be 500,000 new Apprenticeship places by
2020 so that even more employers and individuals can reap the
benefits. The Apprenticeship programme makes a real difference to
all concerned, and I'm delighted to attend the 5th national
Apprenticeship Awards launch tonight."
John Korzeniewski, Regional Director of the LSC in the North West,
added:- "Apprenticeships are a more attractive option than
ever before for those employers wanting to take control of the
future of their business by investing in skills. Today, more than
130,000 employers across the country are using Apprenticeships to
improve their business performance, whilst giving talented
individuals the opportunity to achieve their goals. Entries to
the Awards have increased year on year and we have received around
4,000 entries since the first Apprenticeship Awards in 2004. We are
now calling on all apprentice employers across the country to enter
our fifth national Awards."
Employers are eligible to enter 1 of 4 categories depending on their
company size; Micro (1 to 9 employees), Small (10 to 49 employees), Medium
(50-249 employees) and Large (250+ employees). They are assessed on
a number of criteria including implementation of the Apprenticeship
programme, clear demonstration of the way Apprenticeships have
benefited their business and the level of support provided to their
apprentices. In addition to the employer Awards, there are 4
categories open to apprentices - Apprentice of the Year, Advanced
Apprentice of the Year, Young Apprentice of the Year and Personal
Achiever of the Year. The Awards' premier sponsor for the 4th
consecutive year is City & Guilds.
Chris Humphries, director-general of City & Guilds commented:-
"Any business can only be as good as the skills of its workforce,
so it's great to see that the Apprenticeship Awards showcase the
very best in staff training. As well as applauding individual and
employer successes, these Awards are testament to the real economic
benefits apprentices can bring."
This year, for the 1st time, the LSC will be hosting presentation
evenings in the region's 5 local areas - Cheshire, Cumbria, Greater
Manchester, Lancashire and Merseyside. Further details will be
announced in January.
To enter the Awards, or for more
information, visit
apprenticeships.org.uk/awards
or call 0800 954 8896. Deadline for entries is 29
February 2008. The national final of the Apprenticeship Awards will
be held on 10 July 2008 at the Royal Horticultural Halls in central
London.
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OVER 30,000 OLDER PEOPLE EAT CHRISTMAS DINNER ALONE
LAST year,
while most were tucking into their turkey on Christmas Day
surrounded by family and loved ones, over 30,000 older people in the
North West were eating their Christmas dinner alone, according to
new research by charity Help the Aged. The research also found that
nearly 78,000 older people in the North West did not even have a
Christmas meal last year.
And while for many, Christmas is an incredibly busy and sociable
time, sadly, over 220,000 (20%) of older people in the North West,
more than any other region in the UK, say that they do not look
forward to Christmas because they feel particularly lonely at this
time of year. This added to the fact that almost 1 million older
people across the whole of the UK spend Christmas Day totally alone
means that the so-called festive season is far from merry for many
of the UK’s pensioners.
In an effort to brighten up thousands of older people’s Christmases
and to help ward off heightened feelings of loneliness at this time
of year, Help the Aged is making a final call for support for its ‘1
is the saddest number’ fundraising campaign this year. The
campaign aims to help end isolation and loneliness among older
people and as part of it, the Charity is hoping to reach out to
25,000 older people across the North West and the rest of the UK by
providing them each with a Christmas meal to enjoy with friends at
their local day centre over the festive period. A donation of just
£4 will enable Help the Aged to supply such a meal for an older
person and the Charity is hoping the public will get behind this to
help it raise £100,000 for this cause before the end of the year.
Liz Smith, who played
‘Nana’ in the BBC’s Royle Family series and who is supporting
the Help the Aged ‘1 is the saddest number’ fundraising
campaign said:- “I know 1st-hand what it feels like to be
lonely and how miserable it can make you feel. I was one of the
lucky ones who was able to make changes to my circumstances and move
to live somewhere with other people around to be less isolated. Many
other older people however, don’t have these choices.
Christmas in particular can be hard for some older people who don’t
have family or friends to celebrate with and so providing a
Christmas meal is one of a range of ways in which we can help to
bring people together. And although a festive meal is a special
occasion for one day only, we know that the benefits are much longer
lasting for those who take part.”
Help the Aged is hoping everyone will get behind its campaign as
just a £4 donation can enable the Charity to provide a Christmas
meal for an older person to enjoy with friends. To donate to the
Help the Aged ‘1 is the saddest number’ appeal please visit
saddestnumber.org.uk or call 020 7 239
1983.
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