Dorset apprentices show that they are the best in the country.

Eight young people from Dorset have been named the winners of The Brathay Apprentice Challenge’ and given the title of ‘Apprentice team of the year’, the team came from aerospace firm Cobham.

The challenge involved eight teams going head to head over a range of different challenges that tested business acumen and team work and even physical endurance!

The winners raised almost £4000 for the Make A Wish foundation through various fundraising activities including hitchhiking from Dorset to Cumbria. They also secured celebrity support and raised their profile by holding talks in schools and utilising social media websites such as twitter.

The final two day event took place at the Brathay Trust’s HQ in Cumbria and saw the Cobham team narrowly come first over seven other teams from Balfour Beatty, Bentley Motors, the Co-operative, MBDA Missile Systems, the National Apprenticeship Service, Rolls-Royce and Virgin Media.

The event was topped off with a 10-mile whaler boat race across Lake Windermere to truly test the skills gained through six weeks of fundraising and communication challenges.

There was a resounding positive response from the challenge overall and it has shown how important young talented people are for the growth of businesses nationwide.

Team captain, Nick Shipp, said:

“It’s a real honour to have won the Brathay Apprentice Challenge. It’s been a tough competition, with the other teams really pushing us to the limit. We’re really proud of our achievement, not only at the finals in Cumbria, but also in raising £4,000 for the Make A Wish Foundation.”

Jaine Bolton, Director of the National Apprenticeship Service who presented the awards to the winning team, said:

“Team Cobham are an example of how, in this new era of higher quality Apprenticeships, young people can really help the nation’s businesses grow. The winners are a real asset to their company and the Brathay Apprentice Challenge has been a fantastic way to recognise the incredible talent and success of the nation’s apprentices.”

The Brathay Apprentice Challenge and similar schemes are working hard towards raising the profile of apprenticeships and are helping to show businesses the benefits of recruiting more apprentices.

We have seen a rise in discussion surrounding apprenticeships in our dedicated forum as students are spending more time researching the opportunities available to them outside university.