Apprenticeship Week took place between Monday 1 February and Friday 5 February 2010.

Apprenticeships Week, which is organised by the National Apprenticeship Service (NAS) and has taken place for three years, will celebrate the talents and skills of apprentices. It will see apprentices, employers, providers and all those involved with Apprenticeship programmes come together to celebrate the value of Apprenticeships.

Well-trained employees are more important than ever to businesses as they meet the challenges of the current economic downturn. Apprenticeships can provide businesses with a practical and effective way to develop existing staff or recruit new employees in a cost effective way and without the need for time away from the workplace. In fact, the business benefits are numerous.

Available to all ages, apprenticeships provide on-the-job training so employees can contribute to the business while gaining the skills and experience the employer needs. They have been revived over the last 10 years to ensure they add even more value to businesses. There is no set time to complete an apprenticeship and they can be delivered entirely in the workplace or a combination of workplace and an approved college or training provider.

But don't take our word for it - click on the links on the left to find out more about the benefits of apprenticeships and discover why employers in the environmental and land-based sector offer them.

Apprenticeships in environmental and land-based industries

There are currently 13 Apprenticeships offered in the sector:

• Agricultural crops, livestock and mixed farming

• Animal care

• Aquaculture*

• Environmental conservation

• Equine

• Farriery

• Fencing

• Floristry

• Game and wildlife management

• Horticulture (amenity and production)

• Land-based service engineering

• Trees and timber

• Veterinary nursing

*Aquaculture is only available in Scotland