Boost for young Birmingham jobseekers.

A £500,000 boost to secure hundreds of apprenticeship places in Birmingham has been secured by training company GB Training Ltd. The money, which is in addition to an existing contract, will help fund around 200 apprenticeships for people aged 16 plus over the next 12 months.

The contract with the Skills Funding Agency (SFA) also secures jobs and creates several more at GB Training Ltd, based in Bromsgrove Street, Birmingham. The well-established family-run training firm will provide apprenticeship places in care, hospitality, IT and vehicle mechanics thanks to the additional funding. Currently GB Training already has around 250 apprentices registered with it in jobs at businesses across Birmingham and the West Midlands.

Lawrence Barton, GB Training director, said: “This contract allows growth in our business because it is in addition to an existing SFA contract. It is very positive for us as well as being good news for young people who want good quality training in the four sectors we excel at.  We are noticing that there are more and more opportunities out there for young people and we hope that trend continues. I think more employers have grown to realise taking an apprentice on is an essential route to bolstering their business.”

Currently GB Training works alongside organisations including the Radisson Blu hotel chain, Ramada Hotels, East End Foods, Heartlands Hospital and Pertemps.