Two new council schemes have been introduced to boost the number of apprentices in Croydon.

Both schemes, a campaign to create 100 apprenticeships and a virtual partnership to offer free recruitment and quality training, were announced during Chooseday Tuesday at Croydon College on March 5.

The event attracted more than 300 students, residents and employers which celebrated the beginning of the National Apprenticeship Week.

It was organised by the council’s job brokerage service, Croydon Works in partnership with Croydon College to give participants the opportunity to find out more about apprenticeships and the possibilities they offered.

The first scheme announced by Croydon Council was the 100 in 100 campaign, which aimed to create 100 apprenticeships across the borough in 100 working days. This campaign will start in August.

The scheme will enable Croydon employers to have the opportunity to increase productivity and reduce training and recruitment costs by employing and developing skilled and motivated local apprentices.

Croydon Council has taken the lead in this scheme by introducing 20 new apprenticeships.

Cabinet member for economy and jobs, Manju Shahul Hameed, said: “Chooseday Tuesday has been fantastic. We’ve had so much interest from all members of the community – from those in education to business owners to members of the public interested in trying something new.”

The second scheme, Croydon’s Apprenticeship Academy is a virtual partnership of providers, business and the council.

The academy is offering free recruitment and easy access to a high-quality training and support network.

The council will cover 100% of the apprenticeship training costs for small businesses under the scheme.

Hameed said: “We’re keen to see more apprentices employed in Croydon and the two announcements we’ve made today are extremely important as they will help residents build their own careers.

“100 in 100 will enable us to provide more opportunities for our residents to learn valuable skills and launch a new career, while Croydon’s Apprenticeship Academy will make it even easier for our businesses and employers to hire and train new employees.”

The Council’s apprenticeship programme has been recognised nationally and won both the Employers Network for Equality and Inclusion Awards and Personnel Today Awards last year.

The Council’s apprentices are the face of the Choose Your Future campaign, which supports young people to make positive choices and give them more opportunities.