The Highlights of National Apprenticeship Week 2018

Well, what a week that was! National Apprenticeship Week 2018 has come to an end after 5 days of celebrations. The aim of the week was to showcase how apprenticeships work for individuals, employers, local communities and the wider economy. With #NAW2018 trending all week, it’s sure raised some awareness across the country. So without further ado, here are the highlights from 11th National Apprenticeship Week…

Monday 5th March

The week started off with an event hosted by the BBC. It was held at the BBC Broadcasting House with The Sutton Trust, a social mobility charity. Sue Husband, the Director of the National Apprenticeship Service attended.

At the event, there was an exciting announcement about a new apprenticeship programme! This new programme will be based in London and Salford and has been specifically designed to support 50 school leavers from socially diverse backgrounds to apply for apprenticeships. It will begin in September of this year and conclude in March 2020. The aim of this is to prepare the students for a variety of jobs in the BBC, such as Production, Digital Journalism and Broadcast Operation schemes. The jobs they are working towards will be starting in September 2020.

Also announced on Monday was another BBC programme which will be in Cardiff, Wales. This particular programme will offer 10 full-time traineeships to talented students with the aim to apply for 10 BBC Wales Journalism Apprenticeships. The programme will be supported by further opportunities for young people to attend BBC ‘Boot Camp’ training sessions and access to work placements.

Tuesday 6th March

Sue Husband spent some time on day 2 of National Apprenticeship Week shadowing Department for Education apprentices. She was there to find out more about their role in the public sector.

Sue also was interviewed by Julia Hartley-Brewer on TalkRadio about National Apprenticeship Week. They discussed why apprenticeships are important to individuals, employers, local communities and the economy.

Minister of Skills and Apprenticeships Anne Milton continued her tour of the country and attended a YBS Group Northern Power House Event in Bradford, before travelling to ASDA house in Leeds to meet apprentices. She also visited Askham Bryan college in York to meet apprentices and find out more about the apprenticeships that are available.

Wednesday 7th March

On Wednesday, Anne Milton met with 7 Royal Mail apprentices as part of her tour around the country. These apprentices had roles in Project Management, Engineering, HR and Vehicle Maintenance. Royal Mail also created a #NAW2018 postmark which was used on all post sent on National Apprenticeship Week to spread the word about the event. Keep an eye on your post to see if it has the special postmark!

The Apprenticeship Diversity Champions Network (ADCN) celebrated their 1st birthday at the House of Commons. Helen Grant, MP and Chair of the ADCN hosted the event to celebrate the achievements of its members, who have fought for diversity in apprenticeships amongst employers. New members, including Channel 4, ITV and Buckinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service were also welcomed to the network.

Thursday 8th March

The 4th day of National Apprenticeship Week also happened to be International Women’s Day. To celebrate the positive impact of female apprentices in workplaces, there was an event at the National Gallery in London. MP’s, business leaders and inspirational apprentices were amongst the 200 attendees celebrating female apprentices.

This was also the day of The Big Assembly, which is a bit like Question Time shown through a live stream. There was a pre-recorded introduction and video of Anne Milton, and then a live question time from Nottingham College. The live stream reached an astonishing 20,000 people and showcased apprentices and employers sharing their apprenticeships stories.

Friday 9th March

A fitting end the most successful National Apprenticeship Week ever involved many Graduation Ceremonies. 250 apprentices from across a variety of sectors and job roles celebrated their achievements in 6 different locations across England. Apprentices that have completed their apprenticeships in the last year were recognised and had their achievements celebrated. This event showed why more people should choose an apprenticeship as a pathway to a brilliant and successful career.

Here’s a nice thank you message from Anne Milton herself to everyone involved in National Apprenticeship Week 2018!

So that’s that for this year’s National Apprenticeship Week! Let us know if you went to any events throughout the week and what you thought about the week as a whole.