John Hayes MP, Minister for Skills, was the special guest and presented Andy with his Parliamentary Pass.
Essex County Council put out the following press release:
ESSEX COUNTY COUNCIL PRESS RELEASE
APPRENTICE Andy Huckle has been officially welcomed to Parliament as he starts his new job working for Harlow MP Robert Halfon.
Mr Halfon is a long-time supporter of apprentices and apprenticeships and has been a great supporter of apprenticeships run by Harlow College.
It is through the college, Essex County Council and Dean Barclay, part-owner of Harlow Greyhound Stadium and local property entrepreneur who is sponsoring Andy, that Mr Halfon is employing an apprentice.
Mr Halfon said: "I am really delighted to have the first ever full apprentice appointed by an MP. Andy is an exceptional individual who will make a real success of his role.
“It would not have been possible to have taken him on without the ground-breaking programme developed by Essex County Council which has provided half the funding for the apprentice, or Harlow College, which will provide Andy’s college-based training."
While studying for his level 3 apprenticeship in Business Administration at Harlow College, Andy will be involved with the full range of work in an MP's office, such as dealing with constituency correspondence, managing databases and undertaking research.
Mr Halfon said: "I was delighted to welcome Andy to the House of Commons, and to my team, as we strive to make a difference to the lives of people in the Harlow constituency.
"I have long believed that a higher profile should be given to apprentices and apprenticeship schemes and I am pleased the Government has introduced a policy to create 100,000 extra apprenticeships every year.
Thanking Mr Barclay for his involvement, Mr Halfon said: "His support is a great boost for me and for apprentices generally that they can see how much they are valued.
"Apprentices can and will play a major role in the future of our businesses and commerce generally and I look forward to working with Andy as he continues his studies at Harlow College."
Andy secured his role through the Essex Apprenticeship scheme which was created by Essex County Council as part of its pledge to create 1,250 apprenticeships across the county.
To date 889 Essex apprentices have been placed in businesses in industries such as engineering and manufacturing, construction and IT.
by Robert Halfon - www.roberthalfon.blogspot.com
No comments:
Post a Comment