Leeds City College and German counterparts visited the site of the Alf Cooke Printworks in Leeds, which is now being redeveloped into the college’s newest campus. The college has around 35 print apprentices studying for City & Guilds and NVQs.
The visit is the latest in a series of activities, as part of the exchange, looking at the heritage and changing face of the print industry in the two European countries.
The Printworks grade II-listed building has recently been restored as part of a £25m redevelopment to turn it into a campus this September for catering and other courses, but not print, which shifted practical elements to the apprentices’ workplaces around a year ago.
Print tutor Darren Stallan said the building had been an industrial landmark in the city for more than 100 years and at one point housed the largest printing works in the world and was the biggest supplier of playing cards.
"Collaboration between the colleges has allowed young people in the industry to improve their skills and try different processes outside of their workplace," he said. "By observing working practices they can identify ways to help their companies be more efficient."
Apprentice Kane Slater, who works at Parkside Flexibles, enjoyed seeing a building with strong links to his family history: his grandfather used to work in the old building.
Meanwhile the latest figures from the National Apprenticeship Service show that almost 370,000 apprenticeship applications across all sectors were submitted online between February and April this year. representing growth of over 32% against last year.
Apprenticeship vacancies also saw "significant growth". More than 32,600 vacancies were advertised online in the three months – up almost 15% on the previous year. On the 26 April 17,700 live vacancies were available online, the highest number recorded.
Publishing, arts, media and information communication technology were the most competitive sectors to apply for, with over 17 applications per vacancy. Most popular careers are in business and administration, IT and software.
Skills minister Matthew Hancock said: "With more vacancies than ever before, apprenticeships are fast becoming the norm for young people who want to achieve their career goals through an alternative route to University.
"We want more employers to take advantage of the advice and support available from the National Apprenticeship Service and consider how hiring an apprentice could benefit their business."
Two new guides to hiring an apprentice can be obtained from apprenticeships.org.uk, a small and medium sized employers guide to hiring an apprentice and a large employer toolkit.
