Published at 11:14, Tuesday, 15 January 2013

SOUTH Cumbria businesses have been thanked for taking on apprentices as part of a local scheme.

Last year Cumbria County Council South Lakes local committee agreed a £60,000 fund for apprenticeships. The money is targeted at small and medium sized businesses and is to be used for young people not in employment or training.

Small and medium sized businesses will be given up to £2,500 to support them in training an apprentice.

Funding has now been approved for businesses, including Abbot Hall Hotel, in Grange, for a trainee supervisor, and Fuel Exhausts Ltd, Kendal, H&H Reeds Digital Print, Milnthorpe, Sedbergh Medical Centre, SHC Lanaway Electrical Contractor, Kendal, and Steven Fabian Plumbing and Heating, Kirkby Lonsdale.

Miller Waite Ltd, Ulverston, have received £1,000 each for an IT technician, and an IT helpdesk technician to top up the government’s apprenticeship grant.

Figures released by the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills show that 260 new apprenticeships were created in 2011/12.

In total an extra 2,109 apprenticeships have been created in Cumbria since 2009. In Westmorland and Lonsdale the number of apprentices has risen by 96 per cent since 2009, with 760 apprentices in work in 2011/12. In 2005 only 270 apprenticeship places were available in Westmorland and Lonsdale.

Westmorland and Lonsdale MP Tim Farron said: “Even though we have the lowest unemployment in England, we still must do more to support young people and help create well paid jobs in our community.

“I want to thank these businesses for getting involved in the scheme and every other business who has taken on an apprentice. It really makes a massive difference.

“More young people across the South Lakes than ever before now have the opportunity to benefit from a variety of apprenticeships that will help to provide them with the skills they need to build their careers.

“I want us to build on this success and do even more to help our local young people.”

Councillor Clare Feeney-Johnson said: “We have a wealth of small specialist businesses across South Lakeland that have excellent skills to pass onto our young people.

“This scheme enables those businesses to have a future workforce while giving young people real opportunities right here on their doorstep.”

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