Businesses in the West Midlands have been warned that they are in danger of falling behind the rest of the country in the race for growth. Six Steps to Skilling – created by the Semta Apprenticeship Service aims to help the region catch up and keep apace with competitors. The Government has pledged to create 3 million new apprenticeships during this Parliament.

Leading UK cook school, Edinburgh New Town Cookery School (ENTCS), has launched its autumn programme of professional and leisure courses. Offering everything from a short Easy Entertaining course on a Saturday for time-stretched home cooks, to the Six Month Practical Cookery Diploma which will lead to a career in cookery, ENTCS brings the finest teaching standards to all students.

With one million new construction workers needed by 2020 to meet Government house building targets, Walsall College is urging school leavers or adults looking for a career change to consider enrolling on construction courses which can lead to rewarding jobs in an industry where these skills are in high demand.

A team of young apprentices from Nottingham have achieved a top spot in the gruelling seven month Challenge to find the best young apprentices in Britain. The team, made up of apprentices from Emfec Group and Pera Training, ‘Team Perfec’, came second in the finals of the Brathay Apprentice Challenge after raising £5,000 for Dementia UK and completing their community project of renovating a dogs home and helping with day-to-day tasks.

A group of millinery students showed off their handiwork when they joined the crowds for Ladies’ Day at Leicester Races – with one scooping top prize for her efforts. Hats created by Wolverhampton Adult Education Service student Jayne Lightfoot took the top three places in a competition to find the best headwear on show at the racecourse.

Walsall College has launched a range of new Dental Nursing courses to meet the growing skills shortage and support the industry, which is expected to grow rapidly over the next ten years.