E-Skills UK creates more than 300 IT apprenticeships in seven months

Skills body is on track to create 550 roles by the end of 2013

Skills body E-Skills UK has created 313 IT apprenticeships since October last year, with 282 of the apprentices working for small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

The skills body is working in partnership with the National Skills Academy for IT, training provider NITP, and telecoms giant BT, aiming to create a total of 550 IT apprenticeships in 2013.

The positions are part of the "IT Gold Standard Apprenticeship", a programme that is designed to help apprentices settle into the workplace and gain the necessary technical and communication skills more quickly.

The aim is to help the young people to strive towards specific in-demand job roles while trialling a personal development plan. They will also receive support via a "virtual campus" website and employer-backed events.

The partnership had received co-investment from the UK Commission for Employment and Skills via the Growth and Innovation Fund.

Forrest Rundle, an IT Gold Standard Apprentice at Fresh Metrics in Birmingham, said the scheme has been a great start to his IT career.

"I am learning skills with NITP and applying them right away with Fresh Metrics, so I can really make a contribution to the company," he said.

His employer, Gordon Wilcox, said taking on an IT Gold Standard Apprentice has given Fresh Metrics the opportunity to expand its business in an affordable way, before adding that the company is "delighted with Forrest's progress".

"Ensuring that apprenticeship training is high quality and relevant to IT employers' needs is vital to increasing their uptake, particularly among SMEs. That's exactly what we're doing through this partnership," said Karen Price, CEO of E-Skills UK.

The training is delivered by NITP at its further education colleges in 11 towns and cities across England. These include Bedford, Birmingham, Liverpool, Manchester, Milton Keynes, Nottingham, Oxford, Portsmouth, Tamworth, St Albans and Walsall.

The partnership plans to create a further 250 apprenticeship jobs in 2013.

Young people wishing to apply for an IT apprenticeship can do so here.