Top Table Florist's new apprentice, Kirstie Hewison, 16.
THE SWEET smell of employment success has been enjoyed by a florist and its latest employee.
Top Table Florist and Kirstie Hewison are the first in Newport to benefit from the government’s Apprenticeship Grant for Employers (AGE) scheme.
Launched last month, AGE offers businesses a £2,500 bonus for each 16 or 17 year old they employ as an apprentice and is designed to help businesses hire young people when otherwise they may have struggled.
Kirstie, 16, got the apprenticeship through Smart Training and Recruitment, after a visit to Connexions youth service.
"It was just what I was looking for. I am really enjoying it," she said.
Top Table Florist owner Lisa Toyne said: "In this current financial climate we would not have been able to employ another member of staff, so the grant has come just at the right time for us.
"Kirstie is proving to be an asset already, is very conscientious and keen to learn. She will be a valuable member of our team."
Gill Rogers, from Smart Training and Recruitment, said: "We have been delighted with the response to the grant and it has helped us to engage with new employers as well as existing ones. It has enabled us to raise the awareness of apprenticeships with employers who have traditionally related them to the likes of engineering, we now have a tremendously diverse skill set to offer."
l To find out more about apprenticeships, visit apprenticeships.org.uk or call 08000 150 600.
Reporter: richardw@iwcpmail.co.uk