Paul Dougherty has good experience of apprenticeships: 20 years ago he, along with managing director of Blaydon's sister company UK Time Solutions, Chris Routledge, started out as an apprentice, following in the 70-year tradition of the firm in supporting apprenticeships.
Dougherty says: "Apprenticeship provides a solid, technical career base and as Chris and I have demonstrated, can lead to senior management and the boardroom. One of the bars to young people taking up apprenticeship can be the attitude or parents who see a university education as the best career option for their children. In many cases this is true, however you only have to look at the number of graduates working in shops or call centres for little more than minimum wage to see that it is not true in all cases."
Blaydon Communications has just taken on apprentice Michael Thompson and planned a career path over the coming 10 years. With the support of professional institutes, Michael will build NVQ and other qualification modules while learning practical skills on the job. Should Michael decide to take a degree course in his mid-twenties, he will have the full support of Blaydon Communications management.
Paul Dougherty explains: "While students may leave university in their early twenties with around £20,000 of student loan debt, Michael will be earning good money by that time and driving his own car, maybe saving for a mortgage with no substantial debt. If Michael wants to take a degree course as a mature student he will have the practical skills in place to underpin his theoretical learning".
"There is no reason why an apprentice should not aspire to management or the boardroom and we encourage this career path in every way. With a practical skills set, an ex-apprentice can often have a better grasp of their chosen industry and the challenges it presents".
"If more parents were to see the benefits and long term prospects of an apprenticeship it would no longer be seen as a second best choice, rather as a planned and lucrative career path."
(Lee Baldock)
