South West Lakes Trust

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Costa Hadji-Argyris, Cornwall Area Manager for South West Lakes Trust, which has taken on four new apprentices, said: “This project fits in perfectly with our charitable objectives. It is all about getting more people into outdoor sports and gives a pathway to employment for local young people.”

Lucas 17, Cai 22, Mark 21, and Keith 20, are all being trained up as watersports instructors at the Trust’s Stithians Lake. The one-year Apprenticeship will include RYA training, an NVQ in activity leadership and a BTEC in sailing and watersport.

“I’d struggle to get work without the extra training that this Apprenticeship will give me.”

Apprentice Keith, from Helston, is excited about acquiring further watersports qualifications that he needs following his Outdoor Education BTEC at Truro College. He said: “I’d struggle to get work without the extra training that this Apprenticeship will give me.”

Cai, from Falmouth, values the “hands-on” experience the Apprenticeship provides him and Lucas, from Stithians, hopes his apprenticeship will be a spring-board to teaching watersports overseas. Former life-guard Mark, from Stithians, is delighted to be pursuing a path to becoming a watersports instructor.

Mark Beckett, of the Cornwall Apprenticeship Agency, said: “It’s win, win for both the business and the apprentices. It’s great to see people getting the chance to embark on a career in their chosen field, especially at a time when unemployment figures are bleak.”