Public sector apprenticeships launched

Apprenticeships totalling 21,000 in number are to be created across the public sector in April, the government has announced.

The roles will encompass different areas of the public sector including health, education, local government, the Ministry of Defence and other government departments.

People with management skills as well as those fresh out of training will be recruited to the positions, which are part of the 35,000 apprenticeship places pledged by the government earlier this year.

John Denham, the skills secretary, said: "We want to … get young people and adults to recognise the huge breadth of jobs and career options an apprenticeship can open up in healthcare, education and business to name just a few.

"The public sector places we are talking about today are great news for those looking for an apprenticeship but also represent the government's commitment to leading by example, encouraging businesses to take on apprentices and help ensure we have the highly skilled workforce the UK needs to stay competitive through the downturn and when the upturn comes."

More than 20 per cent of the British workforce is employed in the public sector, but there are less than one in ten apprenticeships at present.