Greg Barker MP visits Barclays apprentice in Heathfield
Greg Barker MP visited the Barclays branch in Heathfield to meet one of his constituents who has completed the apprentice programme and to discuss the benefits of apprenticeships with local managers.
Jade Simpson from Heathfield has recently completed the one year apprentice scheme with Barclays and is now a permanent member of staff at the local branch in the High Street.
Jade went to college locally and her ambition was to become a personal trainer but she was put off by the cost of the training required. She found herself out of work and struggling to find a job but was supported by the local Heathfield Works! programme for 16-19 year olds run by employability charity Tomorrow’s people. The charity highlighted that Barclays was offering apprenticeships and helped Jade to prepare for her interview.
Jade commented: “I attended the interview and felt that it went quite well but I couldn’t believe it when I was offered a job at a bank, specially Barclays. Everyone has been lovely here and I immediately felt as if I was part of a team. My family have been very supportive and it’s great that I have successfully finished the apprenticeship. I feel very positive about my job here and I’ve got ambitions to move into a management role.”
Heathfield branch manager Jon Davies said: “It’s been fantastic having Jade as a member of the team. It’s really gratifying to see how she has grown and developed in the role, she has a great personality and it’s a pleasure to see how she deals with customers.
We are keen to recruit more apprentices and would encourage young people between the ages of 16 to 24 to visit our website to see the opportunities available.”
Greg Barker, MP for Bexhill and Battle, said ““I was delighted to meet Jade at the Heathfield Branch of Barclays last week to hear how the apprenticeship scheme has been the start of a rewarding career for her.
As Jade and Barclays have demonstrated, apprenticeships are a brilliant way to begin a career and are ideal for employers to encourage and develop home-grown talent. “”
Jade is among 1,000 apprentices taken on by Barclays since the launch of its apprentice programme in April 2012. It has been designed to help people with no prior experience or qualifications into work. Barclays is committed to doubling the number of apprentices to 2,000, and will continue to focus on specifically targeting young people aged 16-24 not in education, employment or training (NEET).
Nearly nine in ten (87 per cent) of the Barclays apprentices were NEETs at the time of recruitment, with over a third (36 per cent) having fewer than four GCSEs. Over half were unemployed for more than six months prior to joining Barclays, and over a quarter more than a year. A total of 500 young people have been able to stop claiming benefits as a result of joining the programme.
To find out more about the programme, and how to get involved, visit our website www.jobs.barclays.co.uk/apprenticeships or telephone 01928 703974.