WHEN it comes to considering whether to start up apprentice training, bosses in York and North and East Yorkshire too often fear that they may be spending money on a youngster who will soon leave.

But they should heed the old adage: "Don't worry about the cost of training your staff that leave. Worry about the cost of not training those who stay."

That is quoted by Frank McMahon, managing director of YH Training and he should know.

His firm has a contract with the Learning And Skills Council to counter skills shortages. At any one time he has 550 apprentices under his wing at his offices in York, Scarborough, Huddersfield and Hull.

He also has 200 people aged over 25 on the government's Train To Gain scheme for those in work but without level two qualifications.

And he helps about 80 school pupils aged 14 to 16 to study their options.

"Research shows that employers who train their staff improve their bottom line, " he says simply.

Their training tends to be in administration, accounts, retail, customer service, but the same shortages apply to distribution and manufacturing.

Gone are the days when organisations like the now-defunct York Carriageworks had giant in-house training facilities such as the York Apprentices' School machinery workshop.

Today there are rising pressures on employers trying to cut costs and on school leavers, particularly the more able, who are encouraged to stay on at school, take their A levels, then go on to higher education.

Not that Mr McMahon would discourage any youngster from developing themselves, "but many emerge from university, often in debt and can't get a job in line with their degree."

His plea to employers is: "Get involved in apprenticeship training or in Train To Gain which at the moment is either totally or largely funded by the Government.

"In other words there is a Government subsidy to develop your staff and take advantage of that now. At some time in the future you will be asked to pay some part of that cost."

His appeal to young people leaving school's "Give consideration to a whole range of opportunities and seriously consider apprenticeship.

"If you leave school at 17 and take an apprenticeship, then in four or five years if you still want to take a degree then why not?

You may be able to do it in partnership with your employer, who will not want to lose your skills."