As part of National Apprenticeship week a number of local businesses attended an Employer Apprenticeship Breakfast.

The event was organised by the Wandsworth Chamber of Commerce, in close partnership with the Banham Group, Wandsworth council Lifelong Learning, and education and training consultancy Rinova.

An extremely engaging event, with interesting questions and discussions generated by local employers, it focused on the value of apprenticeships and how investing in apprentices can boost business performance.

There was also a focus on how apprenticeships are structured, as well as the current funding available, including an explanation of how the new apprenticeship levy works.

The apprenticeship levy was introduced by the government in April 2017.

Led by Steve Pinto, chief executive of Wandsworth Chamber of Commerce, local businesses heard from Martin Herbert, Managing Director of Banham, Kevin Faulkner, Head of Banham Academy, and Santino Fragola, Head of Lifelong Learning for Wandsworth council.

Elliot Veheary, a security apprentice with Banham Academy, and Pareice Hassan-Wright, a Business Administration Apprentice with Wandsworth council, provided valuable input on how apprenticeships work from a young person’s perspective. Both Elliot and Pareice talked about their experiences of being an apprentice and their future employment goals.

Their contributions were excellent and clearly articulated the importance of investing the workforce of the future.