The
engineering industry is targeting ethnic minorities and women as part of a
recruitment drive to help it boost the
number of people taking Modern Apprenticeships to 10,000 by 2005.
The
Engineering Manufacturing Trade Association is looking to increase its Modern
Apprenticeship training numbers by 66 per cent during the next four years.
It
plans to more than double the number of female apprentices, which currently
stands at only three per cent of its intake, from 180 to 400 by then.
EMTA
also hopes to see the number of people training from ethnic minorities double
from 120 to 240 over the next four years.
The association believes one of the most
effective ways of meeting it targets is by increasing the number of schools
that offer engineering qualifications.
EMTA’s
chief executive, Dr Michael Sanderson, believes that the Government’s backing
of vocational training will help them meet these targets.
He
said, "These are ambitious targets and we shall need the help of everyone
in the industry to achieve them.
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"The
Government’s new-found commitment to vocational training gives us the chance to
take our message into the classroom. We shall be able to directly explain to
young people the high-tech nature of today’s industry and the countless
opportunities it offers in our global economy."
