Historically employers in the Tees Valley and County Durham have always pledged their support to apprenticeship training and despite the economic downturn this is still very much the case.

Readers may be very surprised to hear that there are currently over 700 apprentices studying at Hartlepool College of Further Education across many different employment sectors. Apprenticeship programmes are an integral part of the future skills base in the region and are therefore vital to the local economy.

From a students point of view an apprenticeship is a rewarding way of gaining high quality technical and competency qualifications whilst obtaining valuable work experience with a reputable employer. You can "earn as you learn" with many employers supporting their apprentices into higher education. For the employer, there are real business benefits to employing apprentices. It has been proven that they can make your organisation more effective, productive and competitive. The right apprentice combined with high quality training can add value to a business immediately.

You may be surprised to know there are over 180 different types of apprenticeships from retail to pharmacy, business administration to finance and youth work to classroom assistants. This is only a selection; it is possible to complete an apprenticeship in nearly all employment sectors.

Graham McPhail, Director of Apprenticeships at Hartlepool College, said "We are very proud that we are currently training over 700 apprentices with very high success rates. However, we could not do this without the total time, effort and support of the many employer partnerships in addition to the dedication of the apprentices - in some cases the apprenticeship programme can consist of up to seven or eight separate qualifications, hence it is important to recruit the right calibre of learners. Employment is key, you can't do an apprenticeship unless you are employed as it is vital that the apprentice gains the appropriate work experience to improve their skills in a real working environment. This develops their skills and prepares them well for employment in their chosen field."

Hartlepool College is hosting an Apprenticeship open evening on 8th February from 5.30pm to 7.30pm where a host of local and regional employers will be available to talk to anyone interested in becoming an apprentice. The organisations include large employers of apprentices: Caterpillar, Darchem Engineering, Gus Robinson Developments, Finn Machine Company, Shapers, Gestamp Tallent Automotive, Hartlepool Borough Council, Darchem, Vela, TAG, Huntsman, Wilton Engineering, Northgate, Poppies, Heerema and EDF Energy to name but a few.

If you are interested in starting an apprenticeship programme come along on 8th February. If you are an employer who wishes to be part of this successful programme then please contact Customer Services 01429 295 111 or email business@hartlepoolfe.ac.uk