A TEES Valley training organisation has launched a programme to bridge the gap between college and advanced apprenticeships.

Six students will spend a year on the TTE Technical Training Group’s Apprenticeship Progression course, a joint move with Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council and Redcar and Cleveland College.

The students have completed the college’s Young Apprentice Programme (Yap) and need to bridge the gap to an advanced apprenticeship, where students spend two years working for a sponsoring employer gaining onthe- job knowledge and experience.

Yap provided an introduction to engineering and students attended the college over two years, alongside their GCSE studies.

Keith Leslie, TTE’s apprenticeship director, said: “Capturing the interest of young people in engineering careers at GCSE age is very important.

“TTE, along with Redcar and Cleveland College, is working closely with local schools to provide suitable training programmes, which not only give a flavour of engineering jobs, but skills and qualifications they can apply further into their education.”

TTE, based in Middlesbrough, is an independent not-for-profit organisation, originally established as a joint venture between ICI and British Steel.