Tees Valley has been selected as one of the first areas to test a new approach designed to stop promising apprenticeship applicants falling out of the system after narrowly missing one role.
The brokerage will help connect young people with other suitable when they the later stages of an application but are unsuccessful. It is intended to work a little more like a clearing system, keeping candidates and employers connected rather than making each application a dead end.
The pilot aims to support 1,500 additional apprenticeship starts across Tees Valley. It will also help local employers, particularly smaller businesses, reach a wider pool of young people while tackling skills shortages.