We’ve been celebrating National Apprenticeship Week this week. Here’s a roundup of what we’ve been up to…
This year is the 10th anniversary of National Apprenticeship Week, which is organised to celebrate both apprenticeships and traineeships and the impact they have on individuals. Hugh Baird College held a series of activities throughout the week aimed at raising awareness of the progression opportunities offered through apprenticeships and traineeships as well as showcasing some of the College’s success stories.
The first of the activities brought together past traineeship students, many of whom have moved on to apprenticeship training or higher level study. They were joined by employers and parents at a Celebration of Achievement event at the College’s L20 Restaurant.
Monday, 6th March, saw beauty therapy apprentices visit Merseycare’s Broadoak Unit offering manicures and massage to both patients and staff. Chair of Merseycare NHS Foundation Trust, Beatrice Fraenkel, tweeted “Thank you so much…it really makes a difference…and those smiles help someone feel happier immediately!”
Apprentices from across the College took part in their own Apprentice Challenges, testing out their skills in subject area competitions. The motor vehicle apprentices had a ‘Pit Stop Challenge’, brickies raced to build a wall in ‘Brick Quick’, our apprentice chefs took on the ‘Omelette Challenge and electrical apprentices had ‘A Race Against Time’.
On a more serious note, Hugh Baird College’s Business Development Team held a series of ‘Get Hired!’ sessions, interviewing students for apprenticeship vacancies in construction, motor vehicle, engineering and hair and beauty. The Team will be sifting and shortlisting the candidates over the next few weeks so watch out for more success stories in the near future.
Director of Workplace Learning at the College, Lynn Masterton, said:
“This is the first time we’ve held the ‘Get Hired!’ sessions and we had an excellent response from both students and employers. We’re looking forward to following the progress of the successful students as they begin their apprenticeships in the near future.”
“National Apprenticeship Week really puts the spotlight on apprenticeships and allows us to shout about our apprentice successes. At the same time, it can prompt employers to find out more about the benefits of offering apprenticeships and our Business Development Team is always on hand to offer useful information, working with employers to find bespoke solutions to suit their business needs. Look out for details of our ‘Employer Clinics’ coming soon too where we’ll be offering advice on the funding available.”
Amongst the apprentices featured on the College website were Ben Howard, a joinery apprentice at National Museums Liverpool and Jack Davies, who has just begun an apprenticeship with AJS Electrical. Eve Murphy progressed from a traineeship to her apprenticeship at city centre opticians Jonny Goggles and her story is a great example of this year’s theme – ‘Ladder of Opportunity’. Click here to read more about each of them.
High schools weren’t left out of Apprenticeship Week either with School Liaison Coordinator, Tom Webb, offering talks about apprenticeships and giving tours of the training facilities at the College.
An apprenticeship is a training programme designed to allow the learner to train within both an academic and true working environment. The main benefit of employing an apprentice is that the course allows them to begin work instantly whilst also improving their skill levels continuously. Apprentices can be integrated into an organisation whilst they study so that, on the completion of the course, they are fully prepared to become a well-rounded and adapted member of staff.
As employees, apprentices earn a wage and work alongside experienced staff to gain job-specific skills from organisations operating within industry. Apprentices also receive training, usually on a day–release basis, towards nationally recognised qualifications.
A traineeship is an education and training programme with work experience that unlocks the great potential of young people and prepares them for their future careers by helping them to become ‘work ready’. They provide the essential work preparation training, English, maths and work experience needed to secure an apprenticeship or employment.
If you would like to take on an apprentice or would like to enrol as one yourself contact our team:
Tel. 0151 353 4456
Email. enquiries-bdc@hughbaird.ac.uk