FREE Mobile Phones Spread the Word - Cornishman

01 June 2001

A group of local young professionals celebrate the start of their Modern Apprenticeship programme with the presentation of a Nokia 3310 mobile phone from Maggi Lutey of Ultra Work Based Learning.

Alexandra Hope, Claire Murray, Sarah Jilbert and Victoria Akien, all from Cornwallis Nursing Home, have made an excellent start to their Modern Apprenticeship in Care, whilst Kerry Andrews has found that her Modern Apprenticeship in Hairdressing has already helped her with managing her new business.

Ultra, who have helped train people in the Penwith area for over 20 years, manage Modern Apprenticeship on behalf of the Local Learning and Skills Council. The Apprenticeships, which form the centre piece of the Government’s drive to increase skills in the work place, are open to all 16 to 25 year olds who wish to train towards a technician or junior management position whilst in full time paid employment. The training, which comes completely free of charge, can be undertaken in a wide variety of occupations and leads towards a minimum qualification of NVQ 2 or 3.

Maggi Lutey, Ultra’s Penzance based co-ordinator, said ‘Modern Apprenticeships are popular with both young people and their employers. They provide the skilled staff that employers require and, unlike some College provision, there is usually no need for the apprentice to take long periods off work to study. Ultra delivers most of the training in the workplace around employers’ business requirements and there is, of course, no cost. Modern Apprenticeships are, however, demanding and we thought it would be nice to mark the start of every young person’s commitment with the gift of a top of the range pay-as-you-talk mobile phone from local company Westalk. For many youngsters the start of their Modern Apprenticeship is also the start of their employed career so the phone should also help them with the new demands of their job.’