Apprenticeships are being put under the spotlight nationally from 4 – 8 March 2019, during the 12th annual National Apprenticeship Week (NAW 2019).
Co-ordinated by the National Apprenticeship Service, NAW is designed to celebrate apprenticeships and the positive impact they have on individuals, businesses and the wider community.
Apprenticeships are key to Chesterfield’s growing economy, so much so the town became the first to declare itself an Apprentice Town.
Led by Chesterfield Borough Council the Apprentice Town initiative aims to raise awareness of apprenticeships and promote cooperative working across the education, business and learning community.
Councillor Tricia Gilby, Chesterfield Borough Council’s leader, said: “One of the council’s top priorities is improving the quality of life for local people and ensuring our residents have good employment and training opportunities is key to that. This is why we worked with our partners to establish Chesterfield as an Apprentice Town in 2017.”
In Chesterfield there are currently more than 50 apprenticeship vacancies in a wide range of sectors, including project management, animal care, IT, hospitality, childcare and auto care, being advertised by employers in the town.
In 2017 alone, 1120 apprenticeship starts were delivered. Almost half of the apprenticeships delivered were at Level 3 or above, including 100 Higher Level Apprenticeships. Initial figures for the first quarter of 2018/19 show an 14% increase in apprenticeship starts compared to the same quarter in 2017/18.
With more than 14,000 young people in Chesterfield and North Derbyshire set to leave school over the next five years, apprenticeships are at the top of the agenda for many businesses who are keen to attract the next generation.
Blaze a Trail’ is the theme for this year’s NAW. There are thousands of young people already using apprenticeships right now to blaze a trail in their careers in businesses in Chesterfield and North Derbyshire.
Here are just some of them:
Name: Jack Charlesworth
Age: 22
Employer: Capgemini
Apprenticeship: Degree Apprenticeship in Leadership and Management
Jack’s advice: “If there’s something you want to do for a career, have a look and see if there’s an apprenticeship that could be linked to that career. No matter how weird or wacky it is, you might be able to find an apprenticeship that can help you get onto the right route.”
Prior to joining Capgemini, Jack completed his A Levels in IT, Business Studies and Economics. The fact a degree apprenticeship eliminates university fees and gave him the opportunity to earn while he learned, meant Jack decided that it was time to get working.
He commented on his decision: “I’d learnt so much already at school but not put anything into practice. I really didn’t want to go on to university to take on a load more skills and have nowhere to apply them, so an apprenticeship was definitely the right route for me.
“When I first joined Capgemini and it was all completely fresh to me. I received the support I needed to really kickstart my career. Since then, I have gained experience in being a project manager and feel like I am seen as a normal part of the workforce. I’d love to progress with the company and gain more responsibilities going forward.”
Name: Joshua Bown
Age: 17
Employer: Learning Unlimited, Chesterfield College
Apprenticeship: Level 2 Business Administration
Joshua’s advice: “Look forwards and work your way backwards to see if an apprenticeship aligns with what you want to do.”
Before starting his apprenticeship at Chesterfield College, Josh was studying Travel and Tourism full-time at college. However, he was ready to get hands on and start to apply the skills he’d learned, so turned to an apprenticeship.
He said: “It’s been a huge positive change in my life moving onto an apprenticeship. Not only am I still learning, but the work experience is benefitting me massively and the wage I’m earning has allowed me to become a lot more independent.”
Josh has really enjoyed being part of a team and working with people and hopes that he can pursue that area of his apprenticeship going forward: “I’ve found my passion in interacting with people, whether that be a colleague or with people enquiring about apprenticeships at the college, and that’s definitely something I want to be incorporated in my job for the foreseeable future.”
Name: Maddie Cornwell
Age: 19
Employer: JP Ward & Associates
Apprenticeship: Level 3 Dental Nurse
Maddie’s advice: “Once you’ve found what you want to do, you should apply to as many places as possible. That way, you’re going to give yourself the best opportunity to find the right apprenticeship for you.”
Maddie previously completed her A Levels in Health and Social Care, Psychology and Business Studies, but she always knew that university wasn’t for her. After encouragement and support from her mum to apply for apprenticeships, she found one at JP Ward & Associates as an Apprentice Dental Nurse.
Maddie, who currently spends most of her days assisting in surgery, said: “I’m really enjoying my apprenticeship so far and I definitely prefer the practical learning environment to the one I experienced during my A Levels. It reinforces what I’m learning when I’m able to actually put it into practice on a day-to-day basis.
“I’ve always been interested in working in the medical sector, so I’m really excited to see where this apprenticeship will lead in the future.”
Name: Liam Richardson
Age: 22
Employer: Chesterfield Borough Council
Apprenticeship: Apprentice Bricklayer
Liam’s advice: “Never give up. You could apply for 20 apprenticeships and they could all say no, but there could be that one apprenticeship out there that is waiting for someone to come and take that opportunity.”
Prior to starting his bricklaying apprenticeship with Chesterfield Borough Council, Liam worked in a number of sectors including driving and retail. When he was 22 years old, keen to start a career that gave him long-term prospects, Liam entered into an apprenticeship.
He commented: “I’ve done a bit of everything such as driving and working in retail, but I really wanted something that I could potentially look at doing for the rest of my life. With me being a bit older I didn’t know if it was too late for me to do an apprenticeship, but I’ve been able to drop back into learning, getting qualifications whilst still earning a wage.”
Liam has used an apprenticeship to change careers. The accompanying wage has enabled him to retain his independence. He hopes to progress through his apprenticeships and is looking forward to seeing what the future holds.
If you’re interested in starting an apprenticeship, discover more here https://www.chesterfield.co.uk/apprenticeships/ )
