Member Article

Education academy promotes all-year-round apprenticeships to school leavers

Sheffield apprenticeship provider, W Academy & Education, has been working with recent school leavers to bring to their attention the fact that an apprenticeship can be started at any time of year and to look past the ‘outdated’ approach to the education calendar.

The academy, which has already helped a hundred young people to complete apprenticeships and secure full time employment, is reassuring youngsters who feel they may have ‘missed the boat’ for this year when it comes to continuing their education, as colleges and universities start their latest terms this month.

Informing youngsters also benefits companies who might require apprentices but not in the autumn, when they receive a glut of applications, then experience a scarcity during the rest of the year - when they may have a pressing need.

Marc Wildes, W Academy & Education’s managing director, said: “It has long been a tradition that education kicks off in September in a flurry of ‘back to school’ activity and of course we saw a spike in applications last month following exam results days. The concern for us now is that a lot of young people might feel they are left in limbo if they haven’t been able to decide what to do next after receiving their GCSE or A Level results.

“Thankfully apprenticeships don’t confine people to rigid and limited start dates; in fact, the process is much more as it would be in the working world with apprentices able to start earning and learning throughout the year to meet the needs of the employers we work with over the period.

“It is often possible to secure a work placement as quickly as in 14 days and of course many of the learners we work with will ultimately go on to find full time employment with their work experience provider.”

The latest statistics from the National Apprenticeship Service reveal that more than 1.4m applications had been made for apprenticeships in the last 12 months – up by 32% on the previous year.

Marc Wildes believes this is a clear sign that young people are increasingly being attracted to the paid work placement and tailored training approach in light of rising tuition fees at universities and a difficult economic climate for full time employment.

He added: “The interest in apprenticeships from school leavers has surged massively in the last twelve months as more has been done to promote the ‘earn while you learn’ approach and the fantastic opportunity to get genuine work experience alongside your education – something that is highly valued by prospective employers.

“We’re expecting this popularity to continue to grow and we feel it is important to let young people know that it is never too late to make the decision to apply for an apprenticeship and that we would welcome them to get in touch with us whenever they are ready rather than having to wait for the next academic year or term.”

W Academy & Education claims that it is one of the UK’s leading providers of apprenticeship training in hairdressing, barbering, hospitality, customer service and business administration, IT, team leading and management. The company provides a comprehensive range of qualifications and apprenticeships, promoting real life learning to hundreds of people.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by David Gatehouse .