Demand for apprenticeships as scheme celebrates its 70th

The occasion was a lunchtime event was held at Government House to celebrate 70 years of apprenticeships in Guernsey.

College of Further Education principal Louise Misselke said apprenticeships were very important.

‘Today is about recognising the incredible contribution apprenticeships have made to our community, the work of employers in supporting them and the work of the college,’ she said.

‘We know the world is changing and actually organisations like the OECD are putting apprenticeships at the heart of the future of work. I don’t think we have ever celebrated apprenticeships before and look at the contribution they make.’

She said islanders’ everyday lives were affected by the work of apprentices, including the houses they lived in.

The event saw lecturers, employers and former apprentices coming together. Display boards were put up, profiling some former apprentices and what they had gone on to do.

Association of Colleges chairman Julie Nerney travelled to the island for the event.

‘I think it’s fantastic to celebrate apprentices and to have captured their history and to have put apprentices centre stage,’ she said.

The oldest former apprentice to attend was Terry Le Tissier, 83. He did an apprenticeship in electrical wiring between 1950 and 1955. He started as a cable jointer, but also worked in contracting. He ended up as the commercial manager at Guernsey Electricity.

He said doing an apprenticeship had given him a good grounding in his industry.

Guernsey’s higher education is currently going through some changes, with the College of Further Education, the Institute of Health & Social Care Studies and the GTA University Centre combining last week to form the new Guernsey Institute.

Mr Winser said apprenticeships would form an important part of the institute’s future.

‘There is demand for apprenticeships, but usually what happens is the demand part of it is outpaced by supply,’ he said.

‘We must keep up with demand.’