Employers unveil apprentice plans

A host of major employers have announced that they are creating new apprenticeship places to coincide with Apprenticeship Week, which kicks off nationwide today. Starbucks, BAE Systems and Siemens are among the businesses increasing the quantity of training placements on offer across the country this year. Coffee chain Starbucks has unveiled its first apprenticeship programme in the UK, which will see the company offer up to 45 apprenticeships each month in 2012, in barista skills and customer service. The scheme begins in London this spring and is open to people over 16 years of age, who will each receive 12 months of classroom and on-the-job training. Defence giant BAE Systems has announced it will create 265 apprenticeships around Britain, including 136 posts at the company’s submarine building business in Cumbria – the highest intake at the site for five years. Engineering firm Siemens also said it will be introducing an additional 150 apprenticeships in 2012 as part of its commitment to vocational training. Of these places, 50 will be higher apprenticeships, which are designed to target school leavers with A-levels. Meanwhile, Hilton Hotels is to recruit 50 aspiring cooks into its Chef Apprenticeship Academy, while McDonalds – which has one of the UK’s largest apprenticeship programmes – confirmed that 11,000 of its staff had now completed apprenticeship qualifications. Launching the fifth annual Apprenticeship Week this morning, business secretary Vince Cable said: “Apprenticeships are at the centre of the government’s skills policy because we know that they work. Not only do they provide individuals with the skills they need for prosperous and rewarding careers, they also boost businesses’ profits and drive growth in the wider economy.”