NINE young people from Oxfordshire are to become ambassadors to help promote apprenticeships across the county.

The youngsters who are completing or have recently completed apprenticeships with local firms are the first to join the latest initiative by Oxfordshire Apprenticeships.

Emily Joyce, 21, a former pupil at Wood Green School in Witney, and now an apprentice administrative assistant in the Department of Physics at Oxford University, is set to become one of the ambassadors.

She said: “I believe having apprenticeship ambassadors will bring awareness, knowledge and experience and be an inspiration to the candidates of the future.

“I feel very honoured to be taking part in the scheme and hope that I can encourage and help future apprentices by informing them of my experiences and achievements as an apprentice.”

George Hall, 21, a former student at Sir William Ramsey School in High Wycombe, is now in his third year of a mechanical engineering apprenticeship at Culham Centre for Fusion Energy near Abingdon.

He is also set to be become an ambassador and added: “I feel honoured to be an apprenticeship ambassador and to have the opportunity to give my story about why I chose to take an apprenticeship.

“The first cohort of apprenticeship ambassadors will have a dual role - helping to show employers the benefits to them of taking on an apprentice, and encouraging the next generation of apprentices to sign up.”

Oxfordshire Apprenticeships is a partnership project funded through the Oxfordshire City Deal that works with employers, training providers, schools, colleges, potential apprenticeship candidates of all ages, and other partners across Oxfordshire.

For more information visit oxfordshireapprenticeships.co.uk