Next Gen News

Skillset, the sector skills councils for the creative industries, is interested in the idea of creating a specific apprenticeship framework for journalism, but is still trying to gauge the appetite for this among employers. But journalism is lagging behind other industries, such as engineering, banking and IT, where British Gas, IBM, Deloitte and other companies are tapping into the potential of employing school leavers.

Reaction from friends and colleagues to my decision to recruit an apprentice was a sharp reminder of how little people generally know about vocational education. One friend started to lambast me for being exploitative, until I pointed out that, at £6.08 an hour, I'd be paying well above the national minimum wage for apprentices (£2.50 an hour) out of my own pocket. Another questioned whether an 18-year-old would have the skills to add anything to my business. It's an attitude that does a great disservice to young people.