A TRAINING firm in Horwich is highlighting the importance of apprenticeships to the Bolton economy by expanding its range of courses.
Alliance Learning has linked up with the Learning and Skills Council (LSC), a government body designed to make apprenticeships a mainstream option for all 16 to 18 year olds.
Research by LSC found that apprenticeships are vital to supply skilled workers for employers, particularly those in the manufacturing, engineering and production industries.
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Apprenticeships have faded in recent years as more and more young people follow the academic route made possible by the ever expanding number of university courses available.
Courses outside the traditional academic range, such as football studies or public relations, are springing up as colleges and polytechnics become universities and expand their course offerings to attract more students and bring in more money.
The result is that young people more suited to learning a trade via the apprenticeship route have been tempted into a so-called "academic route" that may not be right for them.
Alliance runs apprenticeship schemes for electrical and mechanical engineering, fabrication and welding, health and social care, children's care and customer service.
It works with young people ranging aged 14 to 20, taking them through the full apprentice programme, from an initial day-release schools academy - which gives them a taste of apprenticeship schemes - to a full-time job.
It also provides adult training classes called Train to Gain, helping people gain new skills through assisted learning.
Jane Simpson, operations executive at Alliance Learning, said: "We have about 400 apprentices, 200 adults working towards Train to Gain and 120 youngsters aged 14 to 16 in the schools academy. We are holding the new diploma in engineering from September so new students to the engineering academy will be undertaking the Government's new engineering diploma programme instead of completing an NVQ level two.
"The childcare qualification will be replaced in September, 2009, with a health, society and development diploma."
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