TWO local organisations have been ranked in the top 100 apprenticeship employers in England.

Gemini Auto Repair Centres, who have sites across Dudley and North Worcestershire, and Dudley Council are two of just 19 employers in the West Midlands who have made the top 100.

Between them they have trained hundreds of youngsters through the government’s apprenticeship support scheme.

Kidderminster-based Gemini currently have 53 apprentices doing their multi-skilled repair technology training across their 29 sites

With another 16 youngsters in other apprenticeships or in their Wales and Scotland centres, apprentices make up more than 12% of the firm’s entire workforce.

They were ranked 92 out of the top 100 and have local centres at Kidderminster, Redditch, Merry Hill, Dudley and Worcester.

The company work closely with a charity called AutoRaise to attract more young people into the motor industry, which has an ageing workforce and needs to fill skill gaps.

Covid has put back training, and it will be next February or March before the apprentices will finalise their courses.

Gemini Dave Sargeant, Managing Director, ARC said: “To be in the Top 100 against lots of huge names across all the sectors I am very proud of the team. Without AutoRaise we wouldn’t have even started taking on Apprentices.”

Dudley Council comes in 43rd in the top 100, having supported more than 400 members of staff to develop their skills and training in the last three years using the government’s apprenticeship levy.

Staff can choose to participate in an apprenticeship alongside their normal duties and have more than 66 different subject areas to choose from, available up to degree level.

The council works in partnership with 34 training providers.

It’s also supporting ten businesses across Dudley borough to offer apprenticeships to staff and already more than 70 are signed up to the scheme.

Councillor Phipps, cabinet member for procurement, transformation and commercialisation said: “In these difficult times, it is vital that we look to use our position as a large local employer to support people into work. This is precisely what we are doing.”

Apprenticeship vacancies can be found www.wmjobs.co.uk/searchjobs/