CENTRAL Devon MP Mel Stride is singing the praises of apprenticeships during the tenth National Apprenticeship Week.

This week aims to raise awareness about apprenticeships and celebrate the huge growth in apprenticeships seen over the last decade.

Mr Stride said: ‘The benefits to employers of taking on an apprentice are huge – nine out of ten say they are satisfied with their apprenticeship programme and three quarters say that apprentices have improved their business’s productivity or the quality of their product or service.

‘The benefits to the apprentices are also sizeable with nearly three quarters staying with the same employer after their apprenticeship finishes, 90 percent staying in employment overall and a quarter gaining a promotion within a year of finishing.’

Apprenticeship participation increased to 899,400 in the 2015/16 academic year, up 3.2% on 2014/15 and the highest number on record.

To find out more information visit www.apprenticeships.org.uk