Communities Called to Examine Apprenticeship Route

MANCHESTER, England, March 21, 2011 - Youth charity Rathbone is launching a drive to get more Black and Asian
youngsters 'learning on the job' - after statistics showed that just 9% of
apprentices in England come from these backgrounds.

Working in Bradford, Leicester and Oldham, Rathbone aims to recruit 300
new apprentices over the next 18 months. The charity believes that a lack of
information on work based training allied to a shortage of places has meant
that many BAME (Black and Asian Minority Ethnic) communities have been
under-represented when it comes to apprenticeships.

Launching the drive at a meeting of community bosses at The Spice City
Journal Business Network at the Taj Palace Restaurant in Oldham tonight
(Monday 21st March), Phil Carey, Employer Engagement Officer for Rathbone,
will call for apprenticeships to be "put on a par with a university
education. They give young people that vital taste of the work place and can
lead to careers as diverse as medicine and teaching."

Rathbone has already had considerable success in working with communities
in places such as Derby, East London and Bolton and believes the secret to
success is to listen to young people such as office worker Kouser Khalifa
(24, from Leicester) - who has made a success of work-based learning.

"A lot of parents don't know about apprenticeships and think the only
options available to their children are university or work," said Kouser.

Oldham child carer Amina Kador agrees that parents need to know more
about apprenticeships. "I have similar responsibilities to university
students on placements and my mum is dead proud because she can tell everyone
I'm working at a school!" added the 18-year-old.

Aside from convincing young people to examine the apprenticeship option,
Rathbone will be encouraging bosses to take on more work-based trainees
through meetings and specially designed marketing materials.

To learn more about Rathbone visit www.rathboneuk.org

For further information: Please contact Peter Gibson on +44(0)7879-248-722.