TV winner encourages businesses to support apprenticeship week

09:06 2nd March 2009

Tim Campbell, winner of the first series of the BBC's Apprentice show, has encouraged businesses in Basingstoke to take on more apprentices.

The Basinstoke Gazette reports that Mr Campbell was in town to promote National Apprenticeship Week and talked to delegates at the Apollo Hotel about the various advantages of hiring apprentices.

Quick to banish one of the stereotypical views that apprentices are merely individuals who have not done well in the classroom, he said that many are in fact already very skilled but are looking to pursue a career with another organisation.

Mr Campbell told the paper: "Apprentices gain confidence, get a skill qualification and are able to see a succession plan, and in this particularly difficult time that's something really powerful."

He added that there are already 130,000 businesses operating in 80 sectors throughout the UK who actively take on apprentices, many of whom could be inspired to seek computer training to bolster their skillsets.

Lord Young, the skills minister, recently said that apprenticeships should be thought of as a valid alternative to further education in the UK.