Hackney needs more apprenticeships says MP Meg Hillier

Apprentice Arthur Deller; Sue Welsh from NAS; Meg Hillier MP; Ian Ashman, Principal of Hackney Community College and apprentice Natasha Bell.Photograph: Hackney Community College

Hackney MP Meg Hillier has called for an increase in the number of apprenticeships offered to young people.

Speaking at a lunch at Hackney Community College earlier this month (10 February) to mark National Apprenticeship Week, the MP for Hackney South and Shoreditch said: “What we need to continue to focus on is increasing the number of Apprenticeships across all sectors – in order to provide a real option for young people.”

She added: “Colleges like Hackney Community College are really good at increasing opportunities for young people; with many leaving the college to go on to get great jobs.”

Chloe Roxburgh, one of the 30 apprentices who attended the lunch provided by Hackney Community College’s Open Kitchen training restaurant agreed: “I love the fact that you get a qualification at the same time as getting work experience, alongside earning money,” she said.

A larger proportion of people in Hackney are claiming Job Seeker’s Allowance than anywhere else in the capital, new figures revealed last month, with the exception the London borough of Newham which shares the number one spot for joblessness.

If you’re an employer interested in taking on an Apprentice, you can get in touch with Hackney Community College: email: employer@hackney.ac.uk