Blog 7 February 2022

National Apprenticeship Week 2022: Building a Better Future

By Asi Panditharatna MBE

It's National Apprenticeship Week 2022 and at Forward we are celebrating the great work of apprentices, their employers and the families and networks that support them.

It is National Apprenticeship Week and at Forward we are celebrating the great work of apprentices, their employers and the families and networks that support them.

With the economy beginning to bounce back, it has been good to see the number of people starting apprenticeships in England higher in 2022 than in 2021, up 43% from the same period in last year.

As a growing Information, Advice and Guidance (IAG), Adult Education Budget, employability and apprenticeships provider, at Forward we can see how apprenticeships help individuals to develop their skills, knowledge and behaviours to support them towards a rewarding career.

Apprenticeships can improve social mobility

According to the Social Mobility Commission, ‘apprenticeships are one of the few indisputably effective tools of social mobility currently available to the government. There is evidence to confirm the benefits they confer on workplace learners – such as enhanced career earnings, continued education and richer, more fulfilled working lives.’

We are proud that 40% of the apprentices we support as a Real Living Wage employer through the Forward Trust levy have experience of being in recovery, the criminal justice system or unemployment. We support training that allows apprentices to enjoy the benefits of learning whilst earning in addition to a range of other positive advantages. For example, apprentices improve their social capital (building their personal connections and networks), enhance their cultural capital (building confidence in workplace communication) and demonstrate a high level of confidence and aspirations for the future.

However, the Social Mobility Commission identifies gaps for people from disadvantaged backgrounds in employer recruitment and selection for apprenticeship training; the quality or ‘value’ of the training received; the likelihood of completing training and of progressing into higher-level apprenticeships, or high paid jobs.

That is why this National Apprenticeship Week we are urging employers and providers to give amazing learners from all communities and experiences a chance as an apprentice and to offer them the support and guidance they need to succeed and progress from their apprenticeships into rewarding careers.

Stay tuned to our socials and website this week for insights and learnings from the delivery of the Employability Practitioner Apprenticeship and more…

_{The Forward Trust is a leading Matrix Standard accredited IAG, employability, Adult Education Budget, skills and apprenticeships training provider. In 2020, we started training learners on the Employability Practitioner Level 4 Apprenticeship Standard. Apprenticeships (forwardtrust.org.uk)}