ONE of the borough’s four MPs has praised a local firm for making the most of the National Apprenticeship scheme.
Last week, Dr Phillip Lee – whose Bracknell constituency includes parts of Finchampstead and Wokingham Without – visited Westcon-Comstor, a global distributor of business technology.
He said that Westcon-Comstor believes that the National Apprenticeship scheme provides a great platform to recruit a new, diverse group of entrants into the world of business and it has found that its apprenticeship scheme provides a valuable pipeline of emerging talent.
And this year’s scheme will be its third intake, with 10 new apprentice roles created across sales, marketing, pre-sales, business administration and technical engineering departments.
During his visit, Dr Lee met with some of those who had been among the 29 apprentices from previous intakes, all of whom were delighted at the choice they had made and the career prospects they now had available to them.
He said: “There has been a rapid expansion in university education of the last couple of decades – to such an extent that some feel it is the only option. This could not be further from the truth.
“As Westcon-Comstor are demonstrating, in most areas, even high-tech ones such as theirs, a good apprenticeship can open just as many doors as a degree. I applaud the company and wish all their apprentices long and successful careers.
Amanda Gascoyne, head of UK sales at Westcon added: “Our discussion with Dr Lee MP was a valuable exchange about the contribution that the IT industry makes locally, and the importance of opening up career opportunities to new entrants.
“We are set to welcome new apprentices in coming weeks, which is as an exciting time for all involved.”