18 MAR 2016
National Apprenticeship Week 2016 - A Roundup
As many of you will know, this week has been National Apprenticeship Week 2016 (NAW 2016). There have been so many employers pledging to take on apprentices and trainees and so many NAW events going on that we thought a little recap was in order!
As many of you will know, this week has been National Apprenticeship Week 2016 (NAW 2016). There have been so many employers pledging to take on apprentices and trainees and so many NAW events going on that we thought a little recap was in order! Especially since tonnes of Apprenticeship opportunities have been set up during the week that you should know about. 
About National Apprenticeship Week
NAW is co-ordinated by the National Apprenticeship Service and is "designed to celebrate apprenticeships and the positive impact they have on individuals, businesses and the wider economy." The hope is to spread the word and get more young people on board to see for themselves what an apprenticeship can do for them. Plenty of people don't know that Apprenticeships are available in more than 1,500 job roles from nuclear to fashion, law, banking and defence, with different levels available depending on skills and qualifications, right up to degree level.
In 2016 the week has run from 14 to 18 March, and the key theme was “An apprenticeship can take you anywhere.” There was a particular focus on higher skills to show how young people, entrepreneurs and businesses can “rise to the top” through traineeships and apprenticeships.
This tool allowed employers to pledge their apprenticeship vacancies and traineeship opportunities in the run-up to and during NAW 2016. Employers could include any roles they intended to advertise between now and 31 January 2017. At the time of writing businesses had made 31,118 pledges which included 29,347 apprenticeships and 1,771 traineeships pledged! Below is a mini run down of the events that happened throughout the NAW 2016:
An apprenticeship VIP employers’ drinks’ reception was held at The Novium Museum in Chichester prior to an Apprentice Graduation Ceremony in Chichester Cathedral. Up to 150 employers attended as well as the Apprentice Ambassador Network and graduating apprentices. Nadhim Zahawi MP hosted the ‘Licence to Skill’ event (Bond in Motion) at the London Film Museum in conjunction with the Greater London Authority and Tech City. Over 200 employers from the creative, digital and technical sectors attended the impressive, James Bond themed event.
Tees Valley apprenticeship challenge took place with apprentices from Redcar and Cleveland, Middlesbrough, Stockton, Darlington and Hartlepool battling it out on the banks of the river Tees until Darlington and Redcar won the title of Apprenticeship Champion!
Redcar and Cleveland Councils Countryside Apprentices and North Yorkshire Moors apprentices worked together to tidy up the South Bank of the Tees. The two-day FE Week Annual Apprenticeship Conference and Exhibition commenced, in partnership with the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS), aiming to support apprenticeship providers, employers and assessment bodies.
National Apprenticeship Week Resources
A massive aim of NAW is to educate the public about Apprenticeships, the benefits of getting involved, and opportunities surrounding them. To help with this, the organisers published loads of resources including ideas on how to get stuck in, materials to use to promote NAW events, and a map of NAW events around the country. These are obviously slightly irrelevant now, but you may find their Key facts about apprenticeships doc helpful as it details facts, figures and statistics about apprenticeships. They also created 5 quizzes so you can test your Apprenticeship knowledge!NAW 2016 Campaigns
NAW 2016 motivated employers across the country to get on board and provide apprenticeships for the year ahead with their Pledge-o-meter.This tool allowed employers to pledge their apprenticeship vacancies and traineeship opportunities in the run-up to and during NAW 2016. Employers could include any roles they intended to advertise between now and 31 January 2017. At the time of writing businesses had made 31,118 pledges which included 29,347 apprenticeships and 1,771 traineeships pledged! Below is a mini run down of the events that happened throughout the NAW 2016:
Monday 14th
NAW 2016 launched with an event at London’s Shard and a number of companies announcing major commitments to apprenticeships, including Starbucks, Prezzo, Fortnum and Mason, Deloitte and Greene King. There were tonnes of people talking about the week online with the hashtag #NAW2016 trending on Twitter! Arena MK in Milton Keynes hosted its first National Apprenticeship Show with over 100 employers showcasing opportunities to thousands of visitors. Compass Catering held the Compass Catering’s MasterChef event to launch their new apprenticeship programme.Tuesday 15th
At the BT Tower an interactive breakfast event took place to showcase stories and achievements of exemplar apprentices, both current and past, and provide students, teachers, career advisors and apprentices an opportunity to network. Aintree Racecourse hosted the NW Large Employer Conference which looked at the most important aspects of the evolving apprenticeship landscape.An apprenticeship VIP employers’ drinks’ reception was held at The Novium Museum in Chichester prior to an Apprentice Graduation Ceremony in Chichester Cathedral. Up to 150 employers attended as well as the Apprentice Ambassador Network and graduating apprentices. Nadhim Zahawi MP hosted the ‘Licence to Skill’ event (Bond in Motion) at the London Film Museum in conjunction with the Greater London Authority and Tech City. Over 200 employers from the creative, digital and technical sectors attended the impressive, James Bond themed event.
Wednesday 16th
Tees Valley apprenticeship challenge took place with apprentices from Redcar and Cleveland, Middlesbrough, Stockton, Darlington and Hartlepool battling it out on the banks of the river Tees until Darlington and Redcar won the title of Apprenticeship Champion!
Thursday 17th
Nick Boles, MP, Minister of State for Skills cooked up a storm with apprentices at Rick Stein’s Seafood Restaurant in Padstow. He was joined by Scott Mann, MP for North Cornwall. The minister then went on to visit The Eden Project, Cornwall where he toured round the Rain Forest and did some planting with apprentices.Redcar and Cleveland Councils Countryside Apprentices and North Yorkshire Moors apprentices worked together to tidy up the South Bank of the Tees. The two-day FE Week Annual Apprenticeship Conference and Exhibition commenced, in partnership with the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS), aiming to support apprenticeship providers, employers and assessment bodies.