A father and son team is leading the way with apprenticeships at a local transport firm.
James Reynolds, an engineering apprentice based at Great Yarmouth has followed in his father Mark’s footsteps and joined First East England when he was 16.
First UK bus routinely recruits around 65 new apprentices across the country each year, with each one completing a standard four year apprenticeship, including training provided by the Manchester Business School every six weeks.
After sitting his GCSEs at Lynn Grove High School, James applied to join First.
“I would much rather be at work – apprenticeships are good because you can earn while you learn,” he said. “I would definitely recommend people to apply for the scheme because you learn proper skills.
“The First scheme is really good and they take on a lot of apprentices over the UK.”
First currently has 10 apprentices across Norfolk and Suffolk who specialise in engineering, body work and electrical application. Each apprentice works towards an NVQ in HGV Mechanics.
Mark Reynolds joined the firm as an apprentice in 1990 and has worked his way up to Fleet Engineer.
He said: “I am a huge supporter of our apprenticeship scheme. It’s important to bring new blood into the transport industry - these apprentices are our future and they are an integral and important part of our business.”
Award-winning body apprentice, Adam Smith, based at the Lowestoft depot, is in the final year of his apprenticeship.
He attended Great Yarmouth High School and studied welding at Great Yarmouth College before joining First as an apprentice in 2010.
Adam, who hopes to gain extra qualifications in mechanics and electrics, said: “Apprenticeships are definitely worth it, especially if you know what you want to do.”