Press release

David Meller announced as the new Chair of the National Apprenticeship Ambassadors Network

David Meller has been appointed as the new Chair of the National Apprenticeship Ambassadors Network.

This was published under the 2010 to 2015 Conservative and Liberal Democrat coalition government

Skills and Enterprise Minister Matthew Hancock has today (24 March 2014) announced the appointment of David Meller as the new Chair of the National Apprenticeship Ambassadors Network.

David is Chair of the Meller Group, one of the largest luxury home and beauty suppliers in the UK, a non-executive board member for the Department for Education, and sponsors 5 academies and 2 university technical colleges, through the Meller Educational Trust.

Skills and Enterprise Minister Matthew Hancock said:

I am delighted that David Meller has accepted the post of Chair of the National Apprenticeship Ambassadors Network.

His wealth of knowledge and experience will be a valuable asset to the Network, the purpose of which is to grow the apprenticeship programme through positive promotion of apprenticeships to employers.

David Meller said:

For me the benefits of apprenticeships are numerous, increased productivity, greater staff retention and more highly motivated workforces. Apprentices have contributed to the increased effectiveness of many businesses.

I’m looking forward to working with the minister, the Network and the National Apprenticeship Service to promote all aspects of apprenticeships, especially the developing areas of traineeships, higher levels and new sectors. I will be attending my first meeting of the Network today (24 March 2014).

The National Apprenticeship Ambassadors Network is an employer-led body. Its remit is to encourage more employers to become involved in apprenticeships in England. It is a group of senior business leaders from FTSE 100/250 businesses and small and medium-sized enterprises across the public and private sectors who have seen the value that apprenticeships add to our businesses.

Notes to editors

  1. David established the Meller Education Trust, which currently has 5 academies and 2 university technical colleges. He is joint Chairman of his family business, the Meller Group, one of the largest luxury home and beauty suppliers in the UK. David is Chairman of the President Club charity and joint Co-chair of Access, a work placement charity. He is a trustee of the Policy Exchange and the Greenhouse charity. He is also a former Vice Chairman of Watford Football Club.

  2. The government’s economic policy objective is to achieve ‘strong, sustainable and balanced growth that is more evenly shared across the country and between industries’. It set 4 ambitions in the ‘Plan for Growth’, published at Budget 2011:

  • to create the most competitive tax system in the G20
  • to make the UK the best place in Europe to start, finance and grow a business
  • to encourage investment and exports as a route to a more balanced economy
  • to create a more educated workforce that is the most flexible in Europe

Work is underway across government to achieve these ambitions, including progress on more than 250 measures as part of the Growth Review. Developing an Industrial Strategy gives new impetus to this work by providing businesses, investors and the public with more clarity about the long-term direction in which the government wants the economy to travel.

Published 24 March 2014