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Ladder for the Black Country: Apprenticeship campaign going national
A successful campaign to create apprenticeships in the Black Country is going nationwide next month.
The Ladder Foundation is being launched at the Houses of Parliament on the back of the Ladder for the Black Country.
The Black Country campaign has created more than 1,000 apprenticeships in the region since its inception in 2014.
Now the Foundation is being launched as momentum for other ladder campaigns across the country grows.
The Foundation will be tasked with overseeing the legacy of regional ladder campaigns and their futures.
It will also be tasked with running a new national campaign, called the Ladder for England, which will have an emphasis on the whole of the country.
Similar to the Black Country campaign, which was supported by the Express & Star, the Ladder for England will work with regional newspapers to highlight the journeys of both employer and apprentice.
Other regions with ladder campaigns include Staffordshire, Shropshire, London and Birmingham.
There are now plans to establish ladder campaigns in other parts of the country.
Kevin Davis, a leading figure behind the Ladder for the Black Country, said: “Going forward, there are plans to create 10,000 new apprenticeships across the country by 2022.
“We are hoping to go into other regions in the country over the next three years while also revisit the ones we have already established.”
The Ladder campaign originally started in London before spreading elsewhere including the Black Country.
Each one has received backing from Pince Andrew, The Duke of York.
His Royal Highness previously visited the Express & Star offices as part of The Ladder for the Black Country’s launch.
Last year, the Duke hosted a special event at St James’s Palace to mark the success of the Ladder in smashing through the 1,000 apprenticeships barrier.
More than 100 apprentices, plus representatives from the Express & Star and its partner, were invited.
At the time, Mr Davis, who is chief executive of the Vine Trust, announced that the Ladder Foundation would be launching to help the scheme develop nationwide.
The Express & Star was one of the founding members of the Ladder for the Black Country and took on five apprentices of their own.
The other founders are training provider Performance Through People (PTP), charity the Vine Trust, the Black Country Chamber of Commerce and with support by Walsall Council
The Ladder Foundation will be officially launched at the Houses of Parliament in Westminster on October 22.
