Steve Gledhill, Project Manager at Pera Training – the UK’s largest provider of manufacturing apprenticeships – has declared that young people are key to ensuring Britain is a leading ‘innovation nation’.Steve Gledhill’s comments came as he addressed the audience at the launch of the new Higher Apprenticeship in Research & Development, on Wednesday (1st May, 2013), which seeks to provide a platform with which to create the much-needed next generation of British innovators.Speaking at the event, he explained: “Involving young people in the research and development process is entirely logical. Young people approach problems in a different way to those who have been in the industry for a long time. Just look at seventeen year-old, Nick D'Aloisio, who attracted an £18m investment from Yahoo for his app ‘Summly’.”“Companies often fail to invest enough in R&D because it can’t be measured in GDP. But think about Apple: they have earned back what they put in thousands of times over.”Richard Grice, Pera Training’s CEO, commenting on the launch, explained that “the new higher apprenticeship will help address a gaping omission in the UK’s drive to support Research & Development”. Adding: “The R&D skills shortage threatens to disadvantage the UK’s global competitiveness unless quickly addressed. Until now, £26bn has been invested in R&D in the UK, and yet no vocational qualifications specifically supporting it exist.”“The benefits of offering a Higher Apprenticeship in R&D are considerable to employers and employees alike. Pera Training’s new Higher Apprenticeship in R&D is an effective way to recruit and develop highly skilled employees, as well as benefiting the growth and competitiveness of British business.”Investment in R&D is high in the UK, but until now the absence of vocational qualifications supporting R&D has held the UK back, according to Richard Grice.He concludes: “High quality apprenticeships are essential to improving the prospects of Britain’s workforce. Apprenticeships are a win-win for employers and employees alike.”The launch took place in the spectacular showroom of the Prodrive headquarters in Banbury, Oxfordshire, where apprentices get involved in the design and manufacture of Subaru, Ferrari and Aston Martin racing cars.The launch was well-attended and featured a number of speakers including Giles English from Bremont and Pera Training’s Steve Gledhill, who has spent the past 18 months identifying the key skills needed to unleash the next generation of young innovators.For more information please contact us on:Tel: 01869 340361 Ext: 416Email:[email protected]
