Clarkson Evans is working in partnership with the City & Guilds Group to give young people the opportunity to meet successful apprentices and hear their inspirational stories.

The electrical giant has teamed up with the City & Guilds Group, through its Apprentice Connect programme, to provide schools and colleges with easy-to-access careers guidance from current or recently qualified apprentices who have first-hand knowledge of the opportunities an apprenticeship can offer.

Twenty electrical and office-based Clarkson Evans apprentices attended a day-long training session to become apprenticeship ambassadors, giving them the skills and confidence to attend school assemblies and career fairs to inspire young people to consider an apprenticeship in the future. The apprentices will now become active participants in Apprentice Connect, an initiative delivered by the City & Guilds Group to widen awareness of apprenticeship training.

Lindsey Young, chief operating officer, said: "Anything that we can do to explain to young people what they can expect from an apprenticeship and where to go for further information has to be good for emerging young talent and the economy as a whole."

One of the newly trained Apprentice Connect ambassadors, Jason Merrett, said: "I bucked the trend at my school by choosing to pursue an apprenticeship. I had the confidence to do what felt right for me, rather than just going to uni because that's what all my friends were doing.

"Now I have a permanent position as an IT technician and am on the road to a long-term successful career in the IT industry. I am looking forward to sharing my experiences with other young people to help them understand the wide range of apprenticeship opportunities that are open to them."

Michael Osbaldeston, special adviser, from the City & Guilds Group said: "We know that Clarkson Evans are deeply committed to developing and training their staff and this is another great example of offering their apprentices skills that will benefit both the company and the individuals."

Schools and colleges wishing to book an apprenticeship ambassador to talk to their students should contact the Apprentice Connect team via Ambassadors@cityandguilds.com  or by registering at www.founders4schools.org.uk 

Clarkson Evans takes on around 100 electrical apprentices each year, along with office-based apprentices in HR, IT, Commercial and Finance.

The company has just been named as one of the top 100 apprenticeship employers in the country at the National Apprenticeship Awards.