A new Apprenticeship Hub has been launched to create better quality and a higher number of apprenticeships start-ups in the region.
The launch was at Rotherham’s Aesseal New York Stadium, with employers, education providers and stakeholders from across the region attending to find out more about this new service.
Now launched it will have an initial target of 300 new apprenticeships and will be a one-stop shop for businesses, apprentices, and anyone hoping to start an apprenticeship by providing a range of services, including
- Information, advice and guidance services to apprentices, parents, and employers
- Help for businesses (SMEs in particular) to access technical talent across the region to tackle skills shortages
- Progression pathways and opportunities into and out of high-quality Level 2 and 3 apprenticeships
- Helping support the development of a public sector approach to apprenticeships, including flexi-job apprenticeships.
The Apprenticeship Hub has an initial target to deliver at least 300 new apprenticeships in the region by 2025 as part of a two-year pilot scheme.
South Yorkshire Mayor Oliver Coppard said: “South Yorkshire doesn’t just need a bigger economy, we need a better economy. But if we’re going to get there, and if everyone is going to be able to access the jobs and opportunities that the new economy will bring, we need to make sure people have the right educational skills, so they can access opportunity wherever it might be.
“That’s what our new Apprenticeship Hub is all about; offering people, organisations and businesses a ‘one-stop shop’ for all the information and support they need to get the right skills, in the right place, so we can all benefit from more jobs, grow.”
The Hub is based at the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority offices in Sheffield and will be delivered through the South Yorkshire Colleges Partnership.
Fliss Miller, Director of Skills at South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority, said: “This is great news for the South Yorkshire economy. At the moment, there is an opportunity for us to deliver a brand-new service that employers, providers and apprentices across South Yorkshire desperately need. By offering this service, that will be delivered by SYMCA in collaboration with South Yorkshire Colleges Partnership, we are going to be able to fulfil many of the requirements that have been lacking across our region for far too long.”
South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority’s Strategy Economic Plan has a vision that South Yorkshire will recover and grow an economy that works for everyone. This includes, in terms of skills, developing 30,000 more people with higher-level skills and 9,000 fewer people with low or no skills.
