When the going gets tough, the tough get going. Against a backdrop of rising youth unemployment and a double dip recession, the Birmingham Post and its sister papers the Birmingham Mail and the Coventry Telegraph were set a challenge of signing up 200 businesses in just 100 days to create new apprentice positions in the West Midlands – and we very nearly made it.
In just over three months we have seen a total of 181 companies signing up to the campaign, taking on just shy of 300 apprentices.
But these latest 300 are just part of the story. This is our second apprentice campaign – last year we encouraged 130 businesses to sign up more than 500 apprentices so in total we have seen more than 300 companies take on more than 800 new staff over the course of two campaigns. That’s 800 people no longer on the dole. That’s 800 young lives that have started on a new journey where success and self-worth are just some of the prizes on offer at its destination.
Looking at the bigger picture where unemployment remains a real issue across our region, this 800 may seem like just a drop in the ocean when there are tens of thousands of people out there looking for a way into the job market but it’s as much about what these numbers represent as it is the numbers themselves.
What it shows is that across the West Midlands there are companies that want to grow, that are optimistic about the future and that have faith in young people to add value to their businesses.
The numbers also show that far from being a feckless generation with no hopes or aspirations, young people today are as determined as ever to improve their lot and in apprenticeships they have found a pathway to bright new future.
