THE head of a flourishing technology company says he is being frustrated by a lack of young people coming forward for apprenticeships.

Malcolm Newdick, managing director of Riverbank IT Management, in Milton Park, near Didcot, has three vacancies for apprentices but cannot find anyone to fill them.

He said: “We have places available for young people to do this apprenticeship but now we are thinking, ‘where are they?”

“I’m not sure if it’s because every young person in Oxfordshire is already in a great job or if young people aren’t going into IT. We have got brilliant job opportunities to offer young people, great training and mentoring from our senior staff, and a fantastic route to more senior roles within Riverbank.

“Some of our best technical staff started out as apprentices, so we know it’s a career path that works really well for candidates who have a mix of technical aptitude and people skills.

“We just aren’t getting the candidates.”

Riverbank moved to Milton Park earlier this year from Great Haseley and now has a workforce of 25, which is growing, with three senior appointments recently.

Dr Newdick added: “It would all be win-win if only we had the people knocking on our door.”

Call 0845 680 9680 or see www.riverbank.co.uk