MP and UCAS run apprentice vacancy website

Rishi Sunak, the MP for Richmond is working with UCAS who have set up an online portal which North Yorkshire business can use to list their vacancies.

Writing on his website the Tory MP said: “I want our young people to have great opportunities when they leave school. I also want our local businesses and organisations to have ready access to the best young talent.

“That’s why I have persuaded UCAS to create this one-stop shop to bring the two together.

“The North Yorks Apprenticeships website makes it easy for businesses to find apprentices and makes it easy for young people to find them. This is a first for North Yorkshire. Nowhere else in the UK will have this facility. It is being watched closely and if we can make it a success, it could be replicated elsewhere.”

UCAS have also announced today that the students submitted 9,330 apprenticeship applications through UCAS’ national service for pre-university courses - UCAS Progress – last year; up 20 per cent on 2014.

There are more than 130,000 A-Level, BTEC, Apprenticeship and other vocational courses listed in the system which also offers advice on making successful choices, an application service, and careers information.

The national coverage of post-16 courses in England and Wales features nearly 15,000 apprenticeships, including in business administration, IT and pharmacy. More than 6,650 apprenticeship applications have been submitted through UCAS Progress since November, Gina Bradbury, Head of post-16 Development at UCAS said: “Young people are making education and training choices in a very complex landscape now, with vocational courses becoming increasingly popular both as a route to employment and into higher education. It’s a big step forward to see more and more teenagers discovering apprenticeships and other post-16 courses through UCAS Progress.”