This summer, Nelson and Colne College Sixth Form once again ran the Pre-Apprenticeship Programme, designed to bridge the gap between school and college for Apprentices commencing in September.

Each year, the College invites a number of young people who are interested in embarking on an Apprenticeship into the College for a period of several weeks, to give them a taste of life as an Apprentice.

The College’s Apprenticeship Academy offers a wide range of Apprenticeship programmes, in a variety of different sectors, from Engineering to Creative and Digital. Apprenticeships allow young people to earn whilst they learn, meaning that they gain valuable experience and a wage whilst gaining a nationally recognised qualification. The Pre-Apprenticeship Programme equips young people with the skills and confidence needed to successfully secure an Apprenticeship placement.

This year, the Pre-Apprenticeship Programme managed to secure ten young people with Apprenticeship placements with a variety of local businesses, including Healey Lodge Care Home (for Health and Social Care), Le Farge Tarmac (for Engineering), Crow Wood Leisure (for Beauty Therapy), Image in Burnley (for Hairdressing), Christian Smith (also for Hairdressing), Direct Products in Clitheroe (for Marketing), John Fallows Accountants (for Accounting) and Four Alls in Higham (for Catering and Hospitality).

Barbara Livesey, Employer and Community Projects Manager, said, “Once again, the success of our Pre-Apprenticeship Programme has enabled us to work with some extremely talented and able young people. We gave them the opportunity to practise the skills required in their chosen sector, as well as to develop their communication skills, team work and interview skills. We will continue to work with all learners to help them successfully progress into employment.”