Positive figures for college on apprenticeships

More than 40 subject framew-orks for this option are available and it regularly works with employers to deliver bes-poke elements to the training.

Subjects include hairdressing, the creative industries, early years, business administration and IT as well as the more traditional construction and engineering,

The countryside Kirkley Hall campus offers quality facilities for apprenticeships within the land-based sector such as agriculture, arboriculture, environmental conservation and landscape gardening and horticulture. The college topped its targets in this area by 25 per cent.

Mark Fairbairn, a Level 3 horticulture apprentice, is just one example of this success. He took up a position at Newcastle-based landscaping firm The One Company six months ago and has already become an asset to its team.

He said: “Horticulture is what I’m passionate about and this apprenticeship is the perfect stepping stone into my future career.

“The skills I have developed have given me the confidence to consider starting my own business in the future.”

Mark is now at the stage where he works four days per week and attends Kirkley Hall campus one day per week. He has been working on soft landscaping projects such as tree planting, shrub planting and laying turf at housing schemes for The One Company.

For more information about how an apprentice could benefit your business, visit www.northumberland.ac.uk/employers