EVEN more people will get an opportunity to earn while they learn, after more than 20,000 new Apprenticeships have been pledged by employers as part of National Apprenticeship Week.

And it’s not just big corporates that are showing their commitment to apprenticeships – 47 per cent of the employers creating new opportunities are small and medium sized enterprises.

Smaller organisations announcing plans to take on apprentices include Cambridgeshire retailer Crafting Time, Kent web designers Interactive Red, London charity Knives Not Lives, Grimsby electrical contractors HYBRiD, Oldham construction firm Emanuel Whittaker and Penzance customer services company TR18 Contact.

And National Apprenticeship Week has also seen a boost to the new traineeships, which give young people the work preparation training, English, maths and work experience they need to get an Apprenticeship or other job.

Business Secretary Vince Cable said: “The Government is putting an end to the damaging divide between vocational and academic learning.

“We are committing the biggest ever investment in Apprenticeships and are on track to create two million Apprenticeships over the course of this Parliament.

“The resounding success of this year’s National Apprenticeship week demonstrates that apprenticeships are deservedly becoming more popular with business of all sizes.

“Apprentices already contribute £1.8 billion to the economy and with these further commitments, thousands more people will now be able to get the practical skills they need to build careers and help firms grow.”

Visit apprenticeships.org.uk or bitly.com/Traineeships2014 for more information.