On Tuesday 17th May I met a group of fantastic young people in Parliament to congratulate them on winning the Brathay Apprentice Challenge. The team representing PepsiCo, which includes a number of my constituents doing their apprenticeships in the Walkers Crisp factory, beat over 1000 other apprentices who entered the competition to win the title of the ‘apprentice team of the year’.
Over the course of six months the team had to compete in a series of challenges that helped them develop new skills. I was delighted to hear about the projects that led to their success, which included raising almost £7,000 for Cancer Research UK, transforming the garden area of Barleycroft School and leading a series of workshops in local schools to raise awareness of apprenticeships.
Apprenticeships give young people great skills and on-the-job experience. Companies also benefit from being able to train young people in a way that really helps their business. That’s why I will continue to champion more high quality apprenticeships in future.
