THE over-arching theme for National Apprenticeship Week 2013 is "Apprenticeships Deliver". This year it is about showcasing the achievements and benefits apprenticeships deliver.
It will showcase the benefits for apprentices, their employers and the economy and utilise their experiences to positively inform and persuade others to get involved.
A huge range of organisations and individuals, including employers, apprentices, business support and sector organisations, learning providers, colleges and schools will support the week, which runs until March 15, by hosting activities.
Among the success stories is Brett White, who has never looked back since he started his apprenticeship. He started his NVQ chef qualification at the Four Bells pub in Woodborough two years ago.
Having passed his level two, he is now a fully-qualified chef. But such is his ambition that he has taken it upon himself to do a level three chef course in the hope he will one day be a head chef.
Brett said: "The apprenticeship has been great. I've been able to come in and learn all about being a chef and I've been earning at the same time, which has been an advantage.
"I started doing basics like fish and chips and have gone on from there.
"It's been a great experience. I don't regret it for a minute.
"I am doing the level three off my own back. It will train me in being able to come up with my own menus."
Brett, who had previously been an apprentice railway engineer, says he aspires to be as successful as celebrity chefs Jamie Oliver and Gordon Ramsay.
"I have learned so much in a short space of time," he said.
Brett was one of those who benefited from the Post's first apprentice drive in 2011.
We asked employers to pledge to take on apprentices to help improve employment figures in Notts.
Pub owner Craig Smith was one of the first to sign the pledge book and found Brett, now 20, to be an ideal candidate.
He said: "Brett has done fantastically. He has passed his NVQ Level 2 and we now have him working here as a fully employed chef.
"It was the first time I had taken on an apprentice at this pub and it has been a major success."
Craig added: "Right now we are fully staffed. But should we need more help, especially if we start getting busier, then I would definitely take on an apprentice."
The cookery qualification was run in conjunction with New College Nottingham.
Craig said: "It's a great way of training your staff up. You can teach them to the standards that you require."
David Way, chief executive of the National Apprenticeship Service, said: "Every year, National Apprenticeship Week increases in popularity.
Last year was a huge success and we look forward to showcasing the value high-quality apprenticeships bring to individuals, businesses and the wider economy and celebrating England's apprentices again this year."