IT was a great privilege to present the very first Fellmongers Apprenticeship Awards in Richmond Town Hall.
There was a tremendous turnout to recognise the achievements of young apprentices in Richmond and it was inspiring to hear their stories and how doing an apprenticeship had unlocked talent they didn’t initially realise they had.
The whole occasion was a great advertisement for the contribution that this form of training can make in developing the skills our economy needs. My thanks to the Richmond Fellmongers – an ancient trade guild - for returning to their medieval roots to foster skills training and asking me to be part of it.
It was also a great opportunity for me talk about the North Yorks Apprenticeships pilot project I am launching and referred to in last week’s column. I’m pleased to say there has been an encouraging response to the idea of using UCAS to set up an online portal for apprenticeships, making it easier for businesses to list their opportunities and young people to find them.
I also mentioned the Fellmongers’ awards in the Commons last week. There were a few puzzled and amused faces in the chamber and the Minister responsible for apprenticeships, Nick Boles, was delighted to discover what a Fellmonger is. No doubt all of you already know, but just in case, a Fellmonger was a dealer in fells (or sheep skins) who specialised in separating the wool from the pelts.
More seriously, we formally launch the pilot project next month and I am looking for as many businesses as possible to consider taking on an apprentice. With the Government support available there’s never been a better time to do so. Please contact the team on nyadvisor@parliament.uk or 01609 765329 to find out more about how the scheme will work.
Last Friday, I spent some time with sheep farmers understanding some of the difficulties they currently face. Apart from issues such as price volatility and regulations surrounding sheep movement, there are continuing concerns about carcass splitting and ear tagging. One farmer told me how last year he was fined because a handful of faulty ear tags hadn’t been read successfully when his lambs went to market.
Because of EU-inspired regulation, and through no fault of his own, he had lost a four-figure sum and had no recourse to reclaim it. I found that shocking and will be taking up this issue, and the rules about carcass splitting, with the Farming Minister George Eustice.
Last week I also paid a visit to The Dales School at Morton on Swale. It is an outstanding special school with a national reputation for excellence and I was made to feel very welcome by the staff, pupils, assistant head Anne Baker and the chair of governors Paul Chubb.
We are lucky to have this school in our community and I hope everyone will join me in getting behind its Hydro Duck appeal to refurbish the school’s hydrotherapy pool – a vital facility that is crucial to the learning of pupils with severe and complex needs. I am keenly awaiting the arrival of my Hydro Duck (the appeal’s mascot) T-shirt!