Somerset College

Natasha Scribbins, star of The Apprentice TV series, joined forces with Somerset College in Taunton to launch its first ever Apprenticeship event recently.

Young people interested in becoming Apprentices and potential employers attended, as well as Jack Fleming, Employer Services Manager of the government’s National Apprenticeship Service. Workshops to help with such skills as CV writing and interview techniques were also laid on.

Natasha, who is from Taunton, talked about The Apprentice and her own work background in recruitment – which made her ideally placed to also run a workshop on interview tips.

Rachel Davies, Principal of Somerset College, told the audience the resurgence in Apprenticeships was good news. “It was a tragedy they went out of favour and there was a dearth of younger people coming through to fill much-needed jobs for our future prosperity.

“Apprenticeships are resurging now and that’s fantastic.”

She said they were a real alternative to traditional educational routes and should never be seen as secondary, as they required sound education backgrounds and could lead on to high levels including university degrees.

Jack Fleming said it was the government’s intention for thousands and thousands of Apprentices to be trained, and there were currently over 300,000 in England alone, in over 190 fields. 

Somerset College works with both employers and young people interested in Apprenticeships, and provides a wide range from Electronics Engineering to Plumbing, Information Technology to Hospitality and Catering.

Caption: At the Apprenticeship event, left to right,  Rachel Davies, Principal of Somerset College, Natasha Scribbins from The Apprentice, visitor Chris Mullan.