With the Government driven Apprenticeship Week in full flow, the Institute of Credit Management (ICM) has given full backing to the initiative by announcing plans for its own Credit Apprenticeship scheme.
The ICM will be inviting UK businesses to join the campaign which will potentially see school-leavers join credit departments to build valuable skills and qualifications. School-leavers could progress to the ICM Level 5 Diploma and BA (Hons) in Credit Management while gaining the experience of working – an attractive way to avoid high levels of student debt.
The Apprenticeship scheme will be a huge boost to the credit industry as a whole, while giving further weight to the credence of the profession says Debbie Tuckwood, the ICM’s Head of Education: “This will be the first opportunity for school leavers to join the credit industry and choose it as a professional career path,” she says.
“It is not too dramatic to say that this is a coming of age for the industry. Skills and education will be developed much earlier than currently possible, which in turn will drive the future of the industry.”
The Business Secretary Vince Cable has used the Apprenticeship Week scheme to urge UK businesses to invest in the next generation of skilled workers, a sentiment fully endorsed by Philip King, the ICM’s Chief Executive: “The Government is right in pursuing this initiative, but UK industry needs to get fully behind it.
“The credit industry’s future is in the hands of those school leavers who might not have even considered credit management as a career option, and businesses with the drive to give them a head start. It is our responsibility to broaden the appeal, and do what we can to encourage more young people to become actively engaged.”
