11 February 2022

Skills Training UK’s Five key take-aways from National Apprenticeship Week

As a leading training provider for Apprenticeships alongside other vocational training programmes, the Skills Training UK team have been busy celebrating all that the 15th Anniversary of National Apprenticeship Week (7th – 13th February) has to offer.

During the week, we were delighted to take part in a staff drop-in session with our employer partner Poundland, sharing information and highlighting the benefits of our Level 5 Improvement Specialist and Level 6 Improvement Leader programmes.

Across our 48 NHS Trust partners, we have heard and shared some impactful Apprentice successes.

Such as Gregory Munya, Pharmacy Business Manager and Level 5 Operations Management Apprentice at Buckingham Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, who thanked his “emphathetic & insightful leaders & the pharmacy team for being so accommodating & supportive during the Apprenticeship.”

Another story came from Ben Andrew, who is four months into our award-winning Level 2 Non-Destructive Testing Operator Apprenticeship with employer Elcometer. Learn more about our NDT Apprenticeships here.

Across our traineeship and study centres teams and working alongside local partners and colleges, we have run several information workshops to highlight the benefits that Apprenticeships have to offer as an alternative to university / higher education.

We would like to thank everyone that has joined us in celebrating this important week – here are our five key take-aways!

1. Employers continue to gain a real return on Apprenticeship investment

National Apprenticeship Week has highlighted how employers are gaining real-business benefit from recruiting and upskilling existing staff members through Apprenticeships.

Rachael Bish, Apprenticeship and Widening Access Facilitator, Gloucester NHS Foundation Trust; “Learners are gaining career progression as a result of their Apprenticeship. They are gaining not only the skills, but also the confidence to manage teams more effectively, so as a Trust we are definitely seeing a real return on investment.”

2. The range of Apprenticeship standards is wider than ever

The employer-led standards introduced in 2017 have led to a wider range of high-quality Apprenticeship programmes, co-created with sector-based employers.

At Skills Training UK we have continued to work closely with employers to improve our programmes, and now deliver over 20 standards, covering Leadership and Management, Continuous Quality Improvement, Business Administration, Materials Testing, Digital Marketing and Supply Chain. Full list here.

3. Apprenticeships are being embraced across all industry sectors

A common myth is that Apprenticeships are for more suitable ‘practical’ jobs, but this is no longer the case.

At Skills Training UK we currently deliver Apprenticeships across NHS Trusts, Local Authorities, Manufacturing, Automotive, Pharmaceutical, Aerospace, Retail, Energy among other sectors, working with employers to tailor programmes against industry workforce needs.

4. The myth that Apprenticeships are for young people is diminishing

While Apprenticeships can be a perfect route for young people looking to start a new career, we are seeing more and more stories from more experienced and more senior members of the workplace who are benefitting from our higher level programmes.

Carol Rodgers, Continuous Quality Improvement, Lincolnshire NHS Foundation Trust “I’ve worked for the NHS for 36 years, and have previously run projects off of enthusiasm and passion. The training provided the systems, tools and procedures so that I can bring structure to that enthusiasm.”

5. Government incentives for Apprenticeships make training more affordable than ever

Large employers can continue to use their existing levy pots to support Apprenticeship training, while SMEs can still benefit from 95% government co-funding, making Apprenticeships a cost-effective solution to support workforce development.

Speak to our team of funding experts today on 0800 048 9370 or email apprenticeships@skillstraininguk.com to learn more about our Apprenticeships.