National Apprenticeship Week 2023

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This National Apprenticeship Week (6 – 12 February), we caught up with a number of Chamber members to discuss their apprenticeship programmes and the benefits they can offer businesses.

Teesside University’s New Apprenticeship Strategy to Supercharge the Region

Learning Curve: Showcasing Skills for Life Through Celebrating All Things Apprenticeships

QA: Delivering for the Future of the Digital Sector

Gateshead College: T Levels 2 Years On

Applebridge: Apprenticeships Bridging the Skills Gap in Construction

Newcastle College: ‘We can’t lose focus on apprenticeships during the cost-of-living crisis’

If you’d like to know more, or tell us what you got up to this week, please contact [email protected].

‘We can’t lose focus on apprenticeships during the cost-of-living crisis’ says college leader

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As the region’s businesses deal with increased costs, Assistant Principal at Newcastle College, Lisa Hoseason, wants to remind employers of the value that apprenticeships can have, even during economic challenges.

As the region that suffered the worst decline in apprenticeship starts since 2018-19, the positive news is that the North East is starting to recover. The latest government figures show that apprenticeship starts in the North East rose by 14 per cent last year, however, this is still 15 per cent lower than pre-lockdown levels.

During National Apprenticeship Week (#NAW2023) (6th – 12th February 2023), which is themed this year on ‘Skills for Life’, the focus is on how apprenticeships can help individuals develop the skills and knowledge needed for a rewarding career and how they can help businesses develop a skilled workforce. Newcastle College wants to shine a light on the work they do with local employers to help them access this pipeline of talent.

Lisa said: “It’s really encouraging to see that apprenticeship starts are on the rise again and we want to see this trend continue in spite of the economic challenges.

“During the pandemic, apprenticeship starts plummeted, and we really don’t want to see that happen again. We can’t lose focus on apprenticeships during the cost-of-living crisis, and we want to show businesses how positive apprenticeships can be.”

The National Apprenticeship Service (NAS) reports that 96 per cent of employers that take on an apprentice see benefits to their business and 72 per cent of businesses report improved productivity as a result of employing an apprentice. Data from NAS also shows that apprentices are loyal employees, with 90 per cent of apprentices staying on after completing their apprenticeship.

In the North East, fabrication solutions specialists WD Close and Sons is reaping the benefits of apprenticeships through its flourishing partnership with Newcastle College.

Kelly Scott, Operations Director at WD Close and Sons said: “We started working with Newcastle College in 2021 and since then, our partnership has meant we’ve employed more than 40 apprentices. The college has been really flexible in listening to our business needs and supporting us to manage skills needs. Apprentices develop a deep understanding of their trade and where they work and we see the rewards of that, that’s why we are committed to taking on and training 100 apprentices over the next five years.”

The partnership has also had award-winning results as Courtney Newton, WD Close and Sons first female apprentice, was named ‘apprentice of the year’ by the welding institute in 2022.

Lisa added: “National Apprenticeship Week is a great opportunity to remind businesses of the benefits of apprenticeships and help them to understand the processes around apprenticeships which can be quite complex. It’s important that educators are reaching out to and exploring those opportunities with them.

“At Newcastle College, we take a rounded approach to apprenticeships, recognising the importance of both employer partnerships and aligning our apprenticeship programs with the local enterprise partnership (LEP) to meet the needs of the North East region. As part of our strategy to 2030, we want to make sure that we’re fulfilling those local needs with what we offer and support the region’s employability, and sharing those positive stories, which is what National Apprenticeship Week is all about.”

Newcastle College is also celebrating the achievements of apprentices at its annual Apprenticeship Awards event, held on Friday 10th February. To find out more about apprenticeships at Newcastle College, visit Apprenticeships (ncl-coll.ac.uk)

Apprenticeships Bridging the Skills Gap in Construction

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Awarded 4th best UK SME Apprenticeship Employer in 2022, it’s safe to say Applebridge is a strong believer in the benefits of apprenticeships.

Like all in the construction industry, civil engineering has been affected by skills shortages over the last decade. Applebridge was no exception, and in 2020 certainly felt the impact of low staffing levels. To combat this, Applebridge looked to counteract the issue, exploring apprenticeships as a way to bridge the gap, and has never looked back since.

“Through apprenticeships, we have been able to bring fresh talent into the industry, from what was previously an aging workforce, it has allowed us to mould their skills to the needs of the company. Not only that, but it has also allowed us to upskill our existing staff to meet the growing digital demands of the industry” – Applebridge Group Operations Director Andy Ray

The success of the apprenticeship route has resulted in Applebridge almost doubling its workforce in the last three years, and apprenticeships have become an integral part of the business. Testament to the success of the apprenticeship route, in 2021, Applebridge invested £120,000 into its own Academy and training park to provide a dedicated training facility for its apprentices.

“I can’t recommend strongly enough how much of a positive impact having Apprentices in your workforce is to a business. If you take the time to nurture talent, you will reap the rewards.” Applebridge Group Managing Director Chris Brown

And the proof is in the pudding – for the last two years, Applebridge has gone from strength to strength, with uptakes in tender rates, new frameworks (most recently Virgin O2 contract) and one of the highest staff retention rates to date. The investment in the Academy was rewarded with double success at the 2022 CECA North East Awards, where Applebridge was recognised as the Training Company of the Year, while apprentice Bailey Middlemas scooped the Trainee Civil Engineer of the Year award.

Gateshead College: T Levels Two Years On

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Deni Chambers Director of Curriculum and Skills at Gateshead College on how T Levels placements make good business sense:

T Levels have been around for more than two years and bring lots of benefits to businesses, however many employers are unaware of how worthwhile they are, not only for today but for future proofing the skills they need to continue being competitive.

Designed by employers, these qualifications have been developed to give businesses an opportunity to address their skills needs while helping to shape future talent. T Level students come to college where they’ll gain a thorough understanding of their subject. We’ll give them the relevant industry skills and knowledge and, once we know they’re ready, they’ll move into an industry placement; that’s where employers come in.

This is like no other work placement though. Unlike having a student shadow you for a week or two; T Level students are ready and prepared to take on tasks and get their teeth into projects. Each student will complete at least 45 days working in industry, bringing a new perspective, fresh ideas and extra resource for projects, or even just more support for the day-to-day. The crucial thing for our students is that they get their teeth into something real and tangible, tasks that are meaningful to them and their career.

We work with employers to find the best match for them, however if they prefer to get involved in recruitment, we’re happy for anyone taking on a student to hold interviews or CV screening. We’re here all the way to support both student and employer during the placement. The whole process is built around each individual business and we develop a detailed placement plan with a working pattern and schedule that suits everyone.

The first T Level ‘graduates’ are already proving how successful these two-year qualifications are with our students going on to secure employment with their placement employers. So, in addition to all of the other perks, T Levels are an ideal way of identifying new talent and finding future recruits.

If you’d be interested in bringing some fresh ideas to your organisation and investing in the workforce of the future by taking a young person on placement, please email [email protected]

QA: Delivering for the Future of the Digital Sector

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QA has over 30-years’ experience delivering apprenticeships across England and the North East, having trained over 30,000 apprenticeships in the last 10 years. We are a trusted tech apprenticeship provider and the UK’s largest provider of Microsoft Certified Apprenticeship Programmes. From digital marketing to data and analytics and cyber security and IT, we provide apprenticeships for some of the most in-demand tech specialisms.

QA have the ability to support clients recruit new talent into their organisation, re-skill their existing employees looking to move into tech roles or take on more technical duties and upskill current members of the team looking to develop their knowledge and expertise.

  • Our programmes focus on the most in-demand tech skills, including cyber, IT, software development, data and digital marketing.
  • We offer career progression at every level from Entry level talent recruitment through to Technical Expertise and university accredited Level 7 master’s degrees.

Our experience and understanding of the market allows us to innovate and develop our programmes to deliver benefit to both learners and employers, which we’ve done through our DxD (digital by design) approach, and frontloaded apprenticeships, which provide learners with invaluable learning experience, designed to fit around full time employment. We listen to our clients, and we deliver on what they need, and at QA we have the scale and experience to be able to do this.

Last year, we became the UK’s first AWS Advanced Training Partner and were awarded Premium Partner of the Year for AWS Training. Not only do we provide apprenticeship training, QA also offer digital skills bootcamps and opportunities for the unemployed through Teach the Nation to Code, aimed at supporting individuals of all backgrounds into tech careers with initiatives for recruiting Women into Tech and working with the BAME Apprenticeship Alliance.

Callum Harris, Senior Client Relationship Manager at QA.

Learning Curve: Showcasing Skills for Life Through Celebrating All Things Apprenticeships

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Learning Curve’s Group Communications Executive, Erin Johnson-Caddell:

We’re sure you know by now that it’s National Apprenticeship Week. And you must have some interest in apprenticeships because you’re here, reading this blog about how great we think they are!

We really do believe apprenticeships are invaluable in upskilling current and future workforces and creating talent pipelines that will benefit both individuals and businesses. Gone are the days when apprenticeships were just for young people trying to get a trade career started. They can be amazingly beneficial in subjects like management where managers can put learnings straight into action and use live briefs from their day-to-day as part of their portfolios.

As with most things, though, it’s not all rainbows and sunshine… The last 12 months has seen a fall in the number of apprentices on programme across most, if not all, apprenticeship providers, with enrolments being down 6.2% compared to the same period last year. We have found the ending of Government incentive schemes has played some part in this. One of our partners based in County Durham has felt the pressure of this first-hand. With 30% of their office made up of apprentices, the £3,000 Government incentive went a long way to ensuring they could continue to operate while providing a brilliant learning experience for their apprentices. The removal of the incentive has made them make big decisions on their ability to continue to use apprenticeships as a sustainable workforce development model, but we are optimistic about the coming spring budget announcement and have our fingers crossed for more support for businesses and apprentices.

The current cost of living crisis also has something to say for itself. As costs go up and bottom lines gets closer, businesses can struggle to pay salary overheads, despite the reduced minimum wage band for apprentices. And speaking of the cost-of-living crisis and the minimum wage for apprenticeships, we’ve also seen a reduction in candidates for the apprenticeship opportunities we’re helping our partners to recruit for.

Despite all of this, we’re dedicated to providing individuals and businesses with high quality apprenticeship training. We pride ourselves on collaboration and innovation so we can meet the needs of both employers and learners for a successful career in the modern-day workplace.

The theme for NAW 2023, is ‘Skills for Life’ – and that’s exactly what we do at LCG!

To celebrate NAW, we have lots exciting activities planned to showcase the incredible impacts that apprenticeships have on individuals, businesses and society. We are celebrating the partnerships with our employers through award ceremonies where our exceptional employers will be celebrated for transforming lives, and their businesses, with us. LCG also look forward to our Purple People Academy celebration, where internal apprentices will be invited for a special afternoon lunch with CEO, Brenda McLeish OBE DL.

We are reaching out to current and former apprenticeships, one of whom is LCG’s Youth Ambassador, to build a profile of case-studies to further solidify and shout out about the fantastic power apprenticeships have in transforming lives. Watch John-Joe’s story here to see how his apprenticeship transformed his life. We are also excited to launch our social media campaign for NAW where we will be platforming quotes directly from employers and clients like Cooplands Bakery, and Anchor, to showcase how apprenticeships have positively impacted businesses and to demonstrate the value they can add to an organisation.

Our most exciting celebration concludes the week where MP Dehenna Davison will be coming to our LCG Head Office. This will provide opportunities for our Director of Apprenticeships, Nicole Bewley, alongside our internal apprentices and three local employers to ask Dehenna questions surrounding apprentices and display the quality impact that undertaking apprenticeships, or employing apprentices has had on their progression. This will be followed by an informal gathering and lunch where Dehenna can gain an insight into the workings of apprenticeships, and the types of people who can benefit most from them!

If this blog has piqued your interest in finding out more, get in touch via email on [email protected] or ask your Chamber engagement manager for an intro.

Teesside University’s New Apprenticeship Strategy to Supercharge the Region

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Teesside University’s Director of Apprenticeships, Jo Burgess:

These are incredibly exciting times. Our Apprenticeship offer has been expanding, focussing on placing the needs of apprentices and employers at the heart of its development.

More than 20 innovative Professional Apprenticeships are now available, ranging from Business Management and Cyber Security, to Engineering, Health and Dietetics. With over 2,000 Professional Apprentices currently enrolled on programmes at Teesside University, we are supporting hundreds of employers meet their workforce development needs and secure the talent pipelines of the future.

I am delighted that we’ll be launching our new strategy during National Apprenticeship Week – a time when the spotlight is firmly on apprenticeships and the positive impact they make. It sets out a commitment to be recognised as a flagship apprenticeship provider, delivering clear career progression options and supporting organisations and businesses to maximise the use of the apprenticeship levy, a critical lever for building capacity in key high level skills priority areas and levelling-up.

Our mission is to work with industry partners and build comprehensive innovative apprenticeships, collaborating with business to ensure people are equipped with the knowledge and experiences they need to become future industry leaders and highly skilled experts in their field.

To support this, we’ll also be launching the Apprenticeship Employer Forum on 8 February – a new initiative aimed at employers which will enable them to inform and shape the professional apprenticeship offer and provide opportunities to share good practice and experience from an employer’s perspective.

Our strategy also demonstrates our commitment to providing every Teesside University Professional Apprentice with the opportunity and support to graduate with the skills and knowledge required to achieve success, make a significant contribution to their workplace and enjoy fulfilling future careers.

I’m incredibly proud that Teesside University was among the first higher education institutions in the country to have its provision subject to a full inspection by Ofsted, with its Professional Apprenticeship provision rated as ‘outstanding’ across all categories. We set the bar and will continue to work hard to deliver outstanding service to both employers and apprentices.

My team would love to hear from you. Call on 01642 738888, drop us an email [email protected] or visit our website.