Apprenticeships are back!

There was a real buzz about National Apprenticeship Week 2022, I thought.

Perhaps it was the fact that we were back ‘face to face’ again to celebrate. Perhaps it’s the fact that we’re seeing an upturn in business across so many different sectors. Perhaps it’s because the number of vacancies – and applicants – is starting to rocket.

Whatever the cause, it’s great news for apprentices, employers and industry.

It’s important, however, that we don’t let apprenticeships disappear from the headlines after National Apprenticeship Week.

We should be beating the drum for them all year round and making sure that every school leaver - or individual looking to reskill or upskill - and employers in all sectors have the information they need to make informed choices regarding apprenticeships.

At Themis, the apprenticeship training arm of Burnley College, we’re on a mission to do just that.

As you may be aware, 2022 is our Year of the Themis Apprentice with great news stories and social media posts every day to raise the profile of our amazing apprentices and employers, our expert trainers and tutors, our state-of-the-art facilities and the apprenticeship vacancies we have.

We’re making sure our success stories reach the local, regional and national media; we’re making sure our voice is heard - and those of our apprentices - on local radio and we’ve appeared on regional and national TV.

Hearing our apprentices’ success stories - such as robotics engineer Bethany making the finals of the national Enginuity Awards and James securing a place to study engineering in Boston after his apprenticeship - makes me proud.

Their confidence in front of the cameras and radio mics always impresses me - they’re always a hard act to follow!

Those who know me, are aware that being in the media spotlight isn’t my thing, but if I can make just one more young person think again about the opportunities an apprenticeship would give them or encourage an employer to invest in their future prosperity by hiring an apprentice, then it’s worth it!

Join me in 2022 to shout about apprenticeships and how they can change lives and boost business.