A south coast training provider is urging more school leavers to consider apprenticeship training as an option.

Darren Vann, Operations Manager at FNTC Training said, “At the moment we have employers from all walks of life ready to take on apprentices.

“Whilst the salaries start fairly low, apprenticeships have other value and we urge youngsters to think about all the benefits of a guaranteed job with training.

“Nine times out of ten apprentices receive a permanent job offer upon completion of their training, so it truly is a great way to gain relevant qualifications and kick-start a career.”

For Ryan Butterworth, 17, from Bournemouth, an apprenticeship in business administration has led him to openings at Quinn and Co, a residential and commercial estate and lettings agency in the heart of town. Ryan is employed as a lettings assistant, and is receiving on-the-job training and mentoring to learn background operations on how a busy lettings and estate agency works.

Quinn & Co lettings director, Savas Ersahin said: “We are a privately owned agency and pride ourselves on offering a highly professional and friendly service.

“The majority of our clients reach us through recommendation, so anyone joining our team needs to operate to the same high standards. Although Ryan is only seventeen, he is a mature, confident and hardworking young man, and is already proving to be an asset to our business.”

FNTC Training has centres in Bournemouth, Salisbury, Southampton and the Isle of Wight and specialises in apprenticeships in business admin and customer service, health and social care and childcare. Working with a wide range of companies across the south, they have a wide variety of apprenticeship placements.

The advice Ryan would give to young people leaving school is to give apprenticeships consideration: “I have some friends from school who didn’t get a job and didn’t go to college.

“That can be very demoralising and can start a spiral of being out of work. With apprenticeships you learn at work, and you gain experience and you get paid.

“The team at Quinn and Co are always happy to show me what to do, and give me the support to get on and do a good job.”