CHILDREN who are a part of the care system are to be given the opportunity to become a council apprentice.

The move was announced at a meeting of Cumbria County Council's local committee for Barrow after it was confirmed £3,146 of funding had been secured.

Young people who "do not get a lot of life chances" will be targeted as part of the recruitment programme.

Cllr Anne Burns said: “I'm absolutely delighted to have secured this funding. I look forward to working with them.

“We need an apprentice to be situated in the Nan Tait building. They'll be learning and helping to develop the community.

“We all want to make our community a better place.

“We're particularly looking at children in care. I hope we can actually employ a young person that has been in the care system to allow them to achieve and give them confidence, because they don't get a lot of life chances. We all have a duty to make sure that we are giving these opportunities to children.”

The move came as National Apprenticeship Week came to a close. Cumbria County Council announced during the week it was looking for almost 40 new apprentices.

Young people already in positions with the authority were used to launch the campaign, including Anna Sewell, who provides business administration support for Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service in Barrow.

Meanwhile, a number of major events were held across colleges and employers with strong apprenticeship intakes, including GSK.

Last week, it was predicted by university chiefs that there is likely to be a significant increase in students in England choosing degree-level apprenticeships.

The number starting one of these training programmes is expected to rise by 658 per cent, from 640 entrants in 2015/16 to 4,850 beginning courses in 2017/18, according to a new report by Universities UK.

Students taking degree apprenticeships - which were first introduced in 2015 - split their time between studying at university and the workplace, with the course fees paid for by government and employers.