Last month, to celebrate National Apprenticeship Week which ran from 5th – 11th February, we held our very own CEO Sit Down, which was an excellent opportunity for all, including employers, learners and stakeholders, to discuss and ask us anything. Our CEO, Iain Salisbury, led the meeting, and essential topics surrounding apprenticeships were discussed.
We were able to get insight from the apprentices themselves that were present, we heard what they love about their apprenticeship but what also could be improved. There were multiple common connections shared between the apprentices, including how much they enjoyed their apprenticeship but also the problems that they faced along the way. One of
challenges discussed were discovering apprenticeships themselves, as we learnt that they are often overlooked and have not been talked about enough in schools, whilst the college or university route is almost being enforced upon students as the route to take.
Discussing these challenges and hearing from apprentices themselves helps raise awareness and hopefully encourages more young people to consider apprenticeships as a viable and rewarding career path. It's all about providing information and choices so students can make informed decisions about their future.
Like the apprentices, employers also shared similar experiences and opinions. There was a mutual agreement that employing apprentices makes a great addition to the team and expresses the valuable contributions they make to their businesses. This is an excellent insight from the employers as it proves the point that both the employer and apprentice are benefited as having apprentices can bring fresh perspectives, new ideas, and a willingness to learn and grow.
We are proud to say we created a comfortable space for open dialogue and allowed everyone to share their thoughts and suggestions. It's through these conversations that we can work towards progressively improving apprenticeship programs and bringing light to how good of a career route they are. The CEO Sit Down was a success, and we can't wait to do more in the future.
