I’m a keen listener to BBC Radio 4 - it puts me squarely into a pipe and slippers stereotype that doesn’t sit comfortably, but there it is. On this morning’s today program much was talked about the recent political upheaval, and hidden among all the doom and gloom of negotiating Brexit with a minority government was a panel discussion about what led young people out to vote.

One of the hidden gems of positive news in the recent general election, are the reports that 72% of young people turned out to vote. This shouldn’t be a huge surprise - the poorer outcomes for Millennials compared to their parents and grandparents, in housing, education and employment is bound to build a political momentum.

One key issue facing young people today is that a university education in England is likely to leave someone with little change from £50k when factoring in living expenses. With most graduates earning a starting salary of around £20k, one must really question hard what the lifetime benefit of a university education is.

One alternative to the University route, is an apprenticeship. Our Software Development Apprenticeship, delivered in conjunction with QA Training, can take young people from Zero to Hero in just a year. Unlike many apprenticeships featuring day release to the local technical college, or on-the-job only learning, we provide our apprentices with 8 weeks worth of really exceptionally high quality classroom training delivered in Central London working with Apprentices from across the region.

Our Apprentices gain industry recognised qualifications, including Microsoft Technical Associate and A-Level equivalent certificates. But critically our Apprentices gain experience of all aspects of our business. From analysing problems and designing solutions, through to development, testing and implementation of software.

The great aspect of our programme is that everyone wins. We undoubtedly benefit from building a highly skilled team, who know about our tools and technology from day one. But the Apprentices benefit as well, with a competitive salary, and other benefits while they learn.

Outcomes for our apprentices are huge, with opportunities to continue to build a career both inside Carbon Six or outside, when you feel the time is right. Because of the knowledge, skills and experience developed on an apprenticeship you could own a house, drive a car and earn a salary of around £35k with £0 student debt within 3 years of completing your apprenticeship.

Education is a public good. But it doesn’t have to be delivered solely by Government.

If you know someone that is in the process of sitting their A/Levels, who is thinking that the technology and the world of work may be for them, then let them know we’re currently looking for our next apprentice.