On Wednesday 19th September all Year 9 students from Woodham Academy took part in the first part of a new and exciting apprenticeship awareness challenge which sees each tutor group linked to and working with a local company from Aycliffe Business Park. The project has been launched to educate young people about the opportunities available on their doorstep. The project has been given a £10,000 grant from the Great Aycliffe and Middridge Partnership and will roll out across Aycliffe’s two secondary schools.
The launch event involved many guests from the local business community. A series of speed networking workshops were led by the six companies working in partnership with Woodham Academy on the project: Palram, Ebac, 3M, Finley Structures, Stiller Warehouse & Distribution and Tallent. Over the next 9 weeks students will be working alongside their company mentor to research apprenticeship and career opportunities within the company.
The results will then be presented in a Dragon’s Den style finale at the end of November.
Dave Spensley, from Aycliffe Fabrications, said “With the development of the Hitachi site on the Business Park, there will inevitably be more opportunities in the near future in Manufacturing and Engineering industries. Students in our area are the work force of the future in these industries and it is crucial that we develop their understanding”.
