Nottingham apprentice Lucy Hignett is the star of a new government advertising campaign to recruit the next generation of apprentices.

The 18 year-old Step in 2 Science apprentice from Boots UK will appear in new adverts for Get In Go Far, aimed at inspiring more young people to follow her lead down the increasingly popular apprenticeship path.

From hundreds of top quality apprentices across England, Lucy was selected to feature as one of 13 stars of the campaign, where she will appear alongside apprentices from a wider range of sectors and companies, including big blue chip businesses including IBM, Sellafield, JCB, Lloyds, BBC and Thales.

Lucy said: “I was overwhelmed to have been accepted onto the apprenticeship scheme to begin with, let alone to have been given this opportunity to further help to promote Boots UK apprenticeships and apprenticeships in general. Boots has invested in my career; I want to give back to a company that continues to give me amazing opportunities.

“Taking part in a major Government advertising campaign was such a valuable experience but so surreal at the same time! I never could have imagined that I would have done something like that a year ago; I surprised myself and my family.”

The Get In Go Far campaign is designed to encourage more young people, their parents, teachers and peers to recognise apprenticeships as a valid and credible route to a rewarding career. It supports the government’s wider commitment to create three million apprenticeships by 2020, helping even more young people reap the benefits of learning through working.

The latest figures show that the East Midlands have already increased apprenticeship starts by 19 per cent between 2014/15 and the previous year. They also show that local businesses in the East Midlands are backing apprenticeships with a five per cent increase in the number of workplaces employing apprentices during the same period.    

Minister for Skills, Nick Boles, said: “This campaign will show young people and their parents the great things you can achieve if you choose an apprenticeship. Our campaign stars, like Paige and the millions more young people who have already benefited, are shining examples of how an apprenticeship can take you into any industry, any job and up to any level, including a degree.”

The launch of today’s campaign comes with the release of new figures that show nearly 90 per cent of employers and apprentices are satisfied with their scheme and that around 75 per cent of employers find their apprentices improve productivity or the quality of their products and services. 

The survey also showed that employment outcomes for apprentices remain strong with 92 per cent of apprentices employed around six months after completion and that the vast majority of apprentice employers are committed to providing apprenticeships in the future.

Stephanie May, Apprenticeship and Access to work Programme Manager at Boots UK, comments:“We are thrilled be a part of the Get In Go Far campaign and help inspire more young people into apprenticeships.

“Supporting young people taking the first steps into their careers has always been incredibly important to us at Boots UK and we have a history of apprenticeship programmes dating back to the 1900s. We’re even more passionate about this today, and about offering valuable experience and education opportunities for young people, helping to build confidence and improve the health and happiness of the next generation.

“We’re so proud of Lucy, whose enthusiasm for apprenticeships is genuine and contagious. She absolutely represents these exciting and inspiring young people who we feel very privileged to work with.”

The government is committed to showing young people, their parents and employers that apprenticeships are an equally valid route to a purely university-based course to get on and build their career. Young people can even gain a degree whilst on an apprenticeship. 

Find out more information at: www.getingofar.gov.uk