National Apprenticeship Week: In review

National Apprenticeship Week is an important tool in raising the profile of apprenticeships with schools, parents and those young people who may not have considered it a viable career route for them. It’s also an opportunity to highlight the value of apprenticeships to those employers who may not have fully engaged with the benefits it can bring to their business.

As one of the largest providers of apprenticeships and training in the North West we’ve been proud to share some of the truly inspiring stories from our apprentices and the employers we’ve supported in navigating the apprenticeship system and levy reform.

We started the week by celebrating current and former apprentices here at The Growth Company, as they shared their experiences as learners.

Business Administration apprentice, Destiny, explained why she made the right choice in choosing an apprenticeship and why it has been such a great way to kick-start her career. While former apprentice, Adrian highlighted how his apprenticeship gave him the management skills he needs to develop and excel in a more senior role.

It was inspiring to hear their stories and to showcase the fact that apprenticeships can benefit people of all ages and at all levels of their career. It is a point often overlooked but here at The Growth Company we have more than 70 apprenticeships – ranging from construction to HR – on offer or in our pipeline, and our skills team are seeing trends emerge in the uptake of our apprenticeships, with higher level apprenticeships in project management, HR and financial services proving very popular. Demand for leadership and management apprenticeships, for example, has shot up.

This was a point picked up by our Education and Skills Director, Jayne Worthington, who took time out to bust some of the most common myths and misconceptions around apprenticeships and the levy, discussing the reasons why all businesses can benefit and why it is important for them to do so.

Apprenticeships continue to be a vital part of addressing workforce development, boosting productivity and supporting inclusive growth, particularly as we seek to meet the skills challenges presented by a rapidly changing post-Brexit world and Industry 4.0.

On Thursday we were also excited to tie in with International Women’s Day by announcing plans to launch a mentoring scheme to support and empower hard-to-reach women in our training centres.
While discussions around the apprenticeship system continue, we’ve been proud to take stock of our successes, highlight how we can help employers make the most of the apprenticeship system, and excited about what our apprentices of tomorrow will achieve.