Awards back aftertriumphantdebut

JOHN CORSER john.corser@mnamedia.co.uk

Thewinners of thesecondLadderfor theBlack CountryApprenticeship Awards will be revealed on November 16.

WalsallFC’sPoundland Bescot Stadiumisthe venuefor thebig nightorganisedbythe Express& Star with theLadderand newheadline sponsors in WalsallCouncil RobColbourne from theLadder team said the firstawardsatGrand StationinWolverhamptonlastyear hadbeena huge triumph Initiative

“Ifsomeone hadsaidtothe ‘LadderFoundationFounders’ that the apprenticeship initiative wouldstill be goingstrong 10 yearson, I’mnot sure we wouldhavebelievedthem.

“Whatstarted offasanextension of theLadderfor London,to get500 apprenticeship starts in theBlackCountry,and showcasing everything good aboutapprenticeshipsthrough one of ourkey partners,the Express&Star, wasthe starting pointina journeythathas growntoover 5,000 apprenticeship starts alongwithopening aLadder School,job fairs, impartialinformation advice andguidancetoschool leaversabout apprenticeships, a workexperienceLadderacademy andapprenticeshipawards,”said Mr Colbourne, whoaddedthat duetothe greatsuccess of the first BlackCountry LadderApprenticeship Awards,there wasasubstantial appetite forasecondawards.

“Weare thrilled that yetagain, theExpress &Starissupportingus to championall that is goodabout apprenticeshipsin theBlack Countryand thepositive impact it hason employersand individualsalike.”

KevinDavis said:“As chairmanofthe LadderApprenticeship Foundation,Iamsopleased the BlackCountry Ladder, throughthe awards,are coming back to Walsall.

“I saybacktoWalsall,asthe Ladder, albeit operatingacrossthe region,was birthedin thetown in 2014,whenagroup of keyWalsall partners includingits council, alongsideothers, translatedthe Ladderfor London newspaper campaigntothe BlackCountry.SubsequentlyShropshire, Staffordshire, Birmingham,and Coventryand Warwickshirefollowed. We have facilitatedthe creation of thousands of new apprenticeshipsthrough our partnerships with news groups like theMidland News Association With theBlack Countryawards launched last year in Wolverhampton, we continue to addressthe skills, andjobschallenges of our region,and we aregratefultothe training providernetworks,the LEPs,councils, andnolessMNA