National Apprenticeship Week takes place between Monday 4th and Friday 8th of March, to give those looking to become an apprentice and businesses thinking of taking on apprentices the chance to find out what is available in their area and in their industry.
The National Apprenticeship Service is part of an agency backed by the Department of Education, but the opportunities are so varied that many struggle to keep up.
The ‘Blaze a Trail’ themed week will see a range of activities and events being hosted across the country, aimed at challenging the outdated views many people still have about apprenticeships.
In Southwark £5 million has been spent on creating a hub in partnership with London South Bank University (LSBU).
This hub is aimed at businesses and potential apprentices to access information, support and training around apprenticeships.
Lambeth College, which in recent years was remodelled as a career college sporting real-life environments like a restaurant and spa, has merged with the university.
The Elephant & Castle based university currently has around 800 apprentices on sponsored degree places. The university currently offers eighteen degree level apprenticeships and is aiming to enrol a total 2000 apprentices by 2020.
The five main apprenticeships at LSBU are Health Assistant Practitioner, Nursing Associate, Chartered Surveyor, Civil Engineer and Building Services Engineer, while the top five employers the university supplies the majority of apprentices to are Transport for London and NHS Trusts (King’s, GSTT, Lewisham and Greenwich).
Taking Lambeth College in their words into ‘the LSBU family’, which already includes primary and secondary schools, means the chances for local people to progress from school, college and university into a career have never been stronger. Lambeth College offers a wide range of courses and apprenticeships that open doors to future careers in health and social care, construction, English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL), engineering, hair and beauty, hospitality, sport, media and more.
LSBU’s main event at their Passmore Centre at 12 Borough Road takes place on Wednesday March 6 at 5.30pm.
Nearby at The Cut on the following Friday, March 8, Southwark College is inviting all local residents and businesses to its Apprenticeship and Careers Fair from 11am to 2pm. The college offers an array of apprenticeships in support services, creative industries, and business.
It is among the highest quality apprenticeship providers in South London, with an achievement rate which is 8.5% above the national average, according to the government’s Education and Skills Funding Agency.
There are events across the country – to find out ones near you or relevant to the sector you are looking for go to: www.gov.uk/government/news/get-behind-national-apprenticeship-week-2019-asks-of-the-sector and see the events map. You can also follow @Apprenticeships on Twitter and National Apprenticeship Service on LinkedIn to keep up to date