Creating new jobs for young people is
the success story behind the new Bedford College Apprenticeship
Academy in Milton Keynes.
The academy is run in partnership with a
national organisation Aspire Achieve Advance Ltd (3AAA) to
bring employers together with young people from the age of
16. The result has been 44 new jobs created, 16 of them since
the start of this year, for aspiring young IT and
accountancy professionals.
The academy in Silbury Boulevard can also
boast 100% pass rates among 30 young people who are on this
accounting apprenticeship endorsed by the Association of Accounting
Technicians (AAT).
These successes will be acknowledged at the
official opening of the academy in Silbury Boulevard on Thursday
January 26th when from 2 pm local dignitaries and employers will
gather to hear more from speakers from Bedford College, 3AAA, AAT,
Microsoft and CompTIA. Guests will include: MP Mark Lancaster, MP Iain
Aitken Stewart, and Mayor of Milton Keynes Cllr Alan Richards .
The academy brings under one roof two of the
pioneering apprenticeship models developed by 3AAA:
NITP - National IT Partnership - Microsoft and
CompTIA accredited
AAP - Accounting Academy Partnership -
AAT accredited
Bedford College Director Sharon
Chinneck said: “Since opening in September 2011 our
partners 3AAA have been working hard to engage with employers so
they see the value of our this new approach to apprenticeships. The
44 new jobs which have been created since we opened, as a result of
that ground work, were not vacancies being advertised, but new
posts where the recruitment team have shown employers how their
business can benefit from engaging a bright young
apprentice.”
The format of these apprenticeships have been
tried and tested across the UK by 3AAA and been acknowledged
nationally. Bedford College has a NITP
establishment within its Bedford campus which has been
successfully linking young people with employers across
Bedfordshire. The move into Buckinghamshire is being
developed via the academy in MK.
To find out more about NiTP at Bedford College click here