You might be aware that it's National Apprenticeship Week next week in England.

The government scheme has a very fancy website publicising itself and if you're based in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland, you can use it to link to find out what initiatives are on offer in your neck of the woods too. They also appear to be doing the right things in terms of hitting all the social media channels, which is essential for project like this these days.

The organisers of the scheme describe National Apprenticeship Week as an annual week-long celebration of apprenticeships across England and see it as a time to recognise and applaud apprenticeship success stories across the country.

The idea behind the scheme is for apprenticeship employers to have the opportunity to promote the success of their apprentices and highlight the benefits to other employers, of all sizes, who are thinking of taking on an apprentice.

They say that apprentices across the country will also be celebrated throughout the week, with engagement and events in schools and colleges. Many current and former apprentices will go back to school to tell their story, all with the intention of attracting the next generation of apprentices.

We have a great story in the Weekly Update today regarding a business in our sector with an apprenticeship success story to tell. South west England dealer CR Willcocks are using the initiative to celebrate the accomplishments of their crop of apprentices. Currently employing five, Andrew Joll, service director at the dealership explains how they have always gone down this route. He says, "As a company we are very much focused on the future, as well as the present, and apprentices bring in energy and fresh ideas. It’s a great workforce motivator.”

Interestingly Andrew goes on to credit just how important the major manufacturers are to apprenticeships in the dealer sector - in this case mentioning how three of their learners are on an agricultural engineering course that is backed by New Holland.

These are sentiments echoed by BAGMA's Keith Christian in an interview we have with him in the upcoming issue of Service Dealer magazine. Keith tells us, "The manufacturers who run training and apprentice schemes are probably the glue that keeps the industry from falling apart when it comes to training and the quality of training."

Keith goes on to make the point, "The industry needs to make an effort to help support the SMEs who need trainees and apprentices but may struggle financially or practically to support them."

Clearly apprentices are vital for the future of the dealer sector - but how are you finding the whole situation in your dealership?

I'm aware that some businesses really struggle with finding interested candidates. And then if they do, the training options available to them in their locale can be limited.

One dealer who responded to a recent survey we ran told us, "There are no northern colleges running apprenticeship courses. We have 16 year olds that have to travel 200 miles by train on a Sunday. They are then away for 3 weeks at a time. Not ideal!"

It'd be great today if you would like to share any thoughts or experiences you've had in employing apprentices in your dealership. Good or bad, it would be very interesting to hear our readers opinions on the subject ahead of next week's events.

Please leave any comments you'd care to share below this article - we may use some in a subsequent issue of Service Dealer magazine.