Plans which will help more young people to become apprentices, setting them on the path to career success, have been announced.

The Stormont Employment Minister, Sir Reg Empey revealed the new Programme-Led Apprenticeships during an Assembly debate on the Employment and Learning Committee's report on Monday entitled, 'The Way Forward for Apprenticeships'.

After the debate Sir Reg said: "I welcome the Committee's report and fully acknowledge the findings that the present economic situation has made it increasingly difficult for would-be apprentices to find paid-for employment whilst completing their training.

"It is for this reason that I am introducing the Programme-Led Apprenticeships which will give 16 and 17 year old school leavers the opportunity to gain a full apprenticeship qualification in a chosen skill area.

"They will access this through a combination of simulated learning and time spent with an employer on a work placement, one day per week," he said.

The Minister also called on HIS colleagues to find work placements in the public sector and to use public procurement contracts to lever placements from within the public sector supply chains.

Speaking earlier, the Sinn Féin MLA who chairs the Committee for Employment and Learning, Sue Ramsey had called for such apprenticeships to be encouraged as a way to protect the skills' base and aid economic recovery.

"Since the beginning of the economic downturn the numbers of apprentices being made redundant has grown each month.

"Unfortunately the reality is that at the moment many employers see investment in skills development at a time like this to be a luxury they cannot afford. Given the recession however it is essential that businesses continue to invest in building the skills base to help the economic recovery," she said.

She noted that one especially worrying factor holding back the evolution of apprenticeships is that they "do not enjoy a high degree of status and are often seen as a second choice career pathway when compared with the university route".

"This must be challenged and the Committee for Employment and learning has put forward a number of proposals to encourage apprenticeship uptakes and to ensure that the skills base that is required is met," she said.

Meanwhile, the Minister's initiative, which will increase spending on apprenticeship training by an additional £6.8million, will begin in September.

(BMcC/JM)