Apprentices from Fujitsu celebrated National Learning at Work Day at an evening reception in London attended by Skills Minister Matthew Hancock.

The day encourages employers to provide workplace training for their employees, including one-off taster sessions.

Apprentice Kirk Hay, 22, said: “Learning and working at the same time has been very good, just because of the career development opportunities and the support we get from our trainers, colleagues and the other apprentices.”

Research by Pearson, which held the reception as part of Adult Learners’ Week, found 23 per cent of people who took part in the day were doing accredited training six months later.

Mr Hancock said: “Learning on the job and learning the job at the same time is such a positive way to increase your lifetime earnings, to gain experience and to increase the skills of the nation.”

Featured image caption: From left: Fujitsu apprentices Kirk Hay, Stephanie Palmer, 22 and Manisha Mistry, 19