College introduces different courses

Traditionally apprenticeships have allowed young people to learn a trade in practical careers such as engineering.A Yorkshire college is developing a new course, however, which will provide students with work-based learning in a range of creative industries.Norton College is launching the one-year creative apprenticeship for 16-to-24-year-olds from September and it will cover a number of training roles including journalism, videography, graphic design, marketing, festival organisation, and gallery, framing and artist’s assistants.

Lee Johnson, head of art and graphics, at Norton College, said:We are delighted to be able to support young people and local employers in the creative industries through this new apprenticeship first for Yorkshire.Sheffield is a city that is renowned for its creative innovation, and the college is committed to playing its part in supporting local businesses.Employers who have already agreed to support the scheme include the Bank Street, Site and Cupola art galleries, the Sheffield-based digital festival organisers Sensoria, Sheffield College itself and KoniMusic.Apprentices will spend three days in the work place and one day a week at college.

There will be 24 places are available on the course, which is the equivalent to two A-levels and which is the only one of its kind in the region.Norton is part of the Sheffield College group.Earlier this year Sheffield College’s executive director of planning and performance Bill Jones said adult apprenticeships would be an area which expanded as funding increases.The country’s further education sector has been hit by a range of budget cuts affecting adult learning and 16-19 sixth form courses.College chiefs in Yorkshire have also voiced fears about the impact to the sector of changes to benefits rules which will mean thousands of adults can no longer access some courses free of charge unless they receive Jobseeker’s Allowance.

However the Government has also increased its spending on apprenticeships. In his Budget, in March this year, Chancellor George Osborne said funding would be made available for an extra 40,000 apprenticeships.The Chancellor urged more employers to run the on-the-job training scheme by revealing just one in 10 UK businesses did so compared to one-in four in Austria, Germany and Switzerland.