Celebration of apprenticeships
National Apprenticeship Week
National Apprenticeship Week is back for 2024 with the aim of bringing together everyone passionate about apprenticeships to celebrate the value, benefit and opportunities that they bring.
Running from Monday, February 5 to Sunday, February 11, this year’s event has the theme ‘Skills for life’.
It has a goal of encouraging everyone to consider how apprenticeships can help individuals to develop the skills and knowledge required for a rewarding career.
National Apprenticeship Week also aims to help employers to develop a workforce with future ready skills.
The University of Sheffield AMRC Training Centre is celebrating ten years of delivering apprenticeships.
It has trained more than 1,700 young people in advanced manufacturing and engineering since opening its doors a decade ago.
The centre, which opened its state-of-the-art building in January 2014, works hand-in-hand with local, regional and national employers to provide industry in South Yorkshire, and beyond, with access to a pipeline of highly skilled people who can drive growth and innovation.
Since opening, it has worked with 400 businesses and delivered more than 1,700 apprenticeships - from advanced through to degree - alongside industry-standard continuous professional development, tailored to the needs of employers to upskill and reskill existing workforces.
Nikki Jones, director of the AMRC Training Centre, said: “When you bring together education and industry, it is very powerful.
“We’ve been doing apprenticeships for ten years and they matter just as much now as when we started. They provide the workforce for the future and we are proud to play a part in producing the leading engineers of tomorrow.
"Any industry needs to have skilled people going into their businesses and our apprenticeships provide a strong pipeline of talent.”
Calderdale College in Halifax delivers a wide and diverse range of apprenticeship qualifications covering 25 different sectors, including construction, digital marketing, and leadership and management.
Its apprenticeships offer a wide range of benefits for both apprentices and employers.
On an annual basis, the college trains more than 500 apprentices, working with over 3,000 local and national employers.
These range from microbusinesses to some of the region’s largest employers.
Since launching in December 2023, the South Yorkshire Apprenticeship Hub has been working with regional employers to provide advice and guidance on employing apprentices.
The SYMCA Levy Matchmaking Service was launched at the same time.
It has since generated more than £300,000 of funding to be used by smaller employers in the region to help fund their apprenticeships training.
For more information about National Apprenticeship Week 2024, visit https://naw.appawards.co.uk/