ANYONE who thinks apprentices make cups of tea and file papers all day will have a steep learning curve at a showcase event next month.

Punk Pig, part of Gingernut Media, will prove to businesses and schools that apprentices not only work at big companies, they help small businesses grow too.

The Colchester company, based in Wellington House, Butt Road, recently secured funding for its apprentices.

Out of 21 members of staff, 13 are apprentices. Of the remaining eight, three are former apprentices who have completed their qualifications and have been taken on as permanent staff.

Operations director Dan Williams explains: “We are proof that apprentices can help a small business grow.

“We are holding this event to show businesses and schools that apprentices make a difference. “We have had such success with them, that we want to invite people in to see just how the apprentices have grown with us.”

Apprentice Hayley McNeill, 18, began her year-long NVQ Level 3 in marketing with Punk Pig, a company which offers design, digital strategy and print services to clients, including Greenpeace, the National Trust and Scottish Power, last November.

As part of her role as advertising executive, she is organising the showcase event on March 7 at their offices in Butt Road, which coincides with National Apprenticeship Week.

Hayley, of East Bergholt, says: “Organising this event has given me the chance to learn everything, from calling clients to doing general office work and business admin. It’s developed my confidence and given me a chance to do things I would not normally do.

“We hope the teachers and careers advisers who attend this event can go back to the schools and share this information with pupils, to offer them an alternative and make them aware of what apprenticeships are and what they can achieve.”

The former East Bergholt High School pupil says she considered university, but decided gaining work experience while studying for her qualifications would benefit her in the long run.

She adds: “I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do, so I searched online and came across apprenticeships.”

The event on March 7 will start at 4pm and be attended by businesses, school representatives, Colchester MP Sir Bob Russell and organisations including UK Trade and Investment, Essex County Council and the Jobcentre.

For more, e-mail hayley.mcneill@gingernutmedia.com or call 0207 495 5110.