HUNDREDS of youngsters are expected to attend an open evening at York College which will focus on the Young Apprenticeship scheme.

Motivated teenagers aged 14 to 16 who are predicted good GCSE grades are invited to attend the information evening at the college on Thursday. The event will provide an opportunity for prospective students and their parents to find out about the selection process and the allocation of places on the Young Apprenticeship programme at the college.

The programme, which is equivalent to four to five GCSEs, allows 16 and 17-year-olds to attend college one day each week and undertake 50 days of work experience over two years, exploring and visiting many varied organisations.

In some cases, young apprentices can be fast-tracked on to Advanced Apprenticeships.

York College offers apprenticeships in business and administration, construction – craft and technical, engineering, hairdressing, hospitality, motor vehicle maintenance, sports leadership and coaching and management.

Anyone interested in finding out more about the Young Apprentice programme can visit the college between 5.45pm and 7.30pm on Thursday.

Lidia Nowicka, 14 to 16 manager at York College, said: “The Young Apprenticeship programme provides young people with a different way of working which really motivates them.

“Getting hands-on experience, being able to learn on the job and seeing how learning can be applied in the real world, is very different to sitting in a classroom every day.”

York College has 3,500 full-time students and 9,000 part-time students and provides education and training to 3,000 employers across the region.

The Government announced yesterday it would fund an additional 35,000 apprentices next year in a bid to strengthen the country’s competitiveness and help combat the downturn.

It will invest £140 million to deliver new and additional apprentices nationally in both the public and private sectors.

Skills Secretary John Denham said: “Now more than ever it is important that we give people the real help they need to get and keep jobs. This is an important initiative and is a further signal of our determination to give people the chance to get the practical training they need to get on and to help ensure the country has the skilled workers it needs to benefit from the upturn.”