National Apprenticeship Week 2019

National Apprenticeship Week 2019 started yesterday and we are excited about the ‘Blazing a trail’ theme, given that apprentices and employers up and down the country are doing just that.

As a growing skills and employability provider, we have already supported over 500 people into apprenticeships and jobs – from hospitality to retail and customer service – through our Job Centre Plus (JCP) and European Social Fund (ESF) contracts. We plan to progress even more people as we begin some new, exciting contracts and work-based training during 2019…so watch this space!

As a levy paying employer, we also see the advantage of up-skilling existing service users to help them develop in their careers and we will be starting our new apprenticeship levy programme soon.

Apprenticeship starts are up by 10% nationally for the period August to December 2018 on 2017, and this is great news. Apprenticeships are rightly the ‘gold standard’ of vocational training and should be `blazing a trail’ for the clients and learners we work with and other social mobility groups. The Forward Trust has always led the way and employed former service users and clients through its substance misuse, recovery support and employability services.

Employers have a great opportunity to recruit these people by spending their levy pots, using the 25% levy pot transfer and using the incentives for disadvantaged people, so they can bring the best talent into their organisations. Through our training programmes and interventions delivered by dedicated and experienced Employment Coaches and trainers, we develop the mindset, qualities and behaviours of people we support into employment so they are in a great position to help their employers blaze a trail in the industry they are in.