TODAY (Monday) the City of London Corporation – the elected body which provides local authority services to the Square Mile business district – announced it was joining the Evening Standard ‘Ladder for London’ campaign with an initial 10 apprenticeship places, amounting to £110,000.
Mark Boleat, elected Policy Chairman of the City Corporation, said: 'The Evening Standard is galvanising support across London for this apprenticeships agenda and it's inspiring all of us to support young people and London’s communities. We have agreed to take on 10 'Ladder for London' apprentices - in addition to our own schemes -and we will have much more to announce about bridging the employability gap in the next weeks. Nothing is more important than to get young Londoners skilled and ready for real jobs and the City of London Corporation is 100% behind the Evening Standard.'
The apprentices will be given places in departments such as Open Spaces, Built Environment, London’s wholesale food markets, the City Corporation’s Barbican arts centre, Economic Development Office, Children’s & Community Services, and the funder itself, the City of London Corporation’s charity City Bridge Trust.
The City Corporation’s unusually wide remit guarantees plenty of CV-building skills opportunities. Further announcements on increasing employability skills across London are expected from the City of London Corporation in October, to build on its City Bridge Trust’s £1m ‘Growing Localities’ horticultural work training programme and a wide range of access to the City programmes run by its Economic Development Office, including its long running City Business Traineeship scheme, plus its own apprenticeship scheme. The City Corporation has already facilitated over 90 apprenticeships under this scheme including 30+ which it has taken on itself.
Furthermore, City-based ‘Livery’, Guild and trade associations back many apprentices and skills projects – for example the upcoming Plaisterers' Awards. More details www.plaistererslivery.co.uk.