This week is National Apprenticeship Week (NAR) and Wythenshawe Community Housing Group (WCHG) is supporting the annual week-long celebration of that most enduring route into work, the apprenticeship. With the UK facing a skills shortage the popularity of apprenticeships is on the rise, particularly in sectors like construction, and that’s
National Apprenticeship Week 2022 is the 15th annual week-long celebration of apprenticeships. This week brings together businesses and apprentices across the country to shine a light on the positive impact that apprenticeships make to individuals, businesses and the wider economy. This year’s National Apprenticeship Week theme will be ‘build the
Dulux Academy has supported National Apprenticeship Week for the third consecutive year. This year’s theme is ‘Blaze a Trail’, which aims to showcase and celebrate the passion and energy that apprentices bring. Working across its college partners, Dulux Academy has actively involved and celebrated the passion of seventy-five apprentices, taking
With the present skill shortages oft reported across the construction (and related services) industry, apprenticeships are commonly seen as a way forward for organisations to bring in new blood and train them up to a standard suitable, firstly for their own operations, and secondly for the wider sector where they
BDC 319 : Aug 2024
This week is National Apprenticeship Week (NAR) and Wythenshawe Community Housing Group (WCHG) is supporting the annual week-long celebration of that most enduring route into work, the apprenticeship. With the UK facing a skills shortage the popularity of apprenticeships is on the rise, particularly in sectors like construction, and that’s hardly surprising given the advantages a modern apprenticeship offers for both jobseekers and employers. Though many apprenticeships are taken up by young people places are available to anyone over the age of 16 and there’s no upper age limit. Christian Atkinson is 36 and he’s been an apprentice with WCHG for more than a year, having left his job as a support worker to pursue a career in joinery. In October last year Christian was nominated for the Apprentice of the Year award at the Construction Apprenticeship Awards 2022. Christian said: “I was incredibly proud when I found out I’d been nominated. I’m following in the footsteps of my grandad, who was a joiner for Manchester Council, and I hope taking up an apprenticeship at 36 will show others it’s never too late to follow your dream. “I think to succeed in an apprenticeship you have to have confidence in your abilities, and know what it you want to achieve from your time as an apprentice. For me no two days are the same in my job, and I love learning new skills each day and having a laugh with my colleagues at the same time. I’ve even told my son, if he wants a skill for life, get an apprenticeship.” Paul Butterworth, Executive Director of Assets at WCHG, said: “In terms of building a career and furthering your education an apprenticeship very much offers the best of both worlds. “An apprenticeship is a real job where you’re a paid employee with a contract of employment, just like any other employee. But as an apprentice you also attend college part-time and work towards nationally recognised trade qualifications, and your employer will support you throughout the whole process. “So, as an apprentice, you’re both earning and learning and gaining valuable, hands-on experience right from day one. “As an employer we also benefit by recruiting apprentices. Not only are we able to recruit bright, dedicated people into our business, it also helps us develop a talented workforce that’s equipped with skills for life. At WCHG we have a business head and a social heat, and it’s fantastic to see apprentices coming into our company and succeeding, not just in their chosen carer, but in life too.” Apprenticeships at WCHG In the last 10 years more than 100 people joined WCHG through our apprentice/trainee programs. In 2021/2022 there were 14 apprentices working at WCHG, all fully supported by our employment team. This included: WCHG now recruits apprentices from six different trades (up from three last year) and so far in this financial year we’ve already enrolled a further nine new apprentices, with more to follow. Recruitment for WCHG apprenticeship positions usually takes place during the summer months and places are advertised on the WCHG website, as well as through local schools and colleges. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
National Apprenticeship Week 2022 is the 15th annual week-long celebration of apprenticeships. This week brings together businesses and apprentices across the country to shine a light on the positive impact that apprenticeships make to individuals, businesses and the wider economy. This year’s National Apprenticeship Week theme will be ‘build the future’; reflecting on how apprenticeships can help individuals to develop the skills and knowledge required for a rewarding career, and businesses to develop a talented workforce that is equipped with future-ready skills. There are over 1,200 virtual and in-person events planned targeted at a range of audiences including stakeholders, businesses, training providers and schools. A full events listing can be found here. Last year, industry leaders from the construction industry called on the government to boost apprenticeships following a 40% drop in people joining industry-relevant schemes, (16,000) compared with the five-year average of (22,500). Statistics for the latest academic year are due for publication later this month. During the course of 2021 the government announced £7m funding to support flexible apprenticeship opportunities so that sectors including construction industries could bid for a share of the fund to support the creation of new flexible apprenticeships, intended to unlock opportunities for people to develop the skills they need to get good jobs. The government also reminded businesses to ensure that apprentices are paid at least the National Minimum Wage. This followed the publication of a report from the Low Pay Commission which found that around 1 in 5 apprentices earn less than their legal entitlement sighting several common errors by businesses including: failure to pay the higher age-related minimum wage rate to those apprentices who are aged 19 and over and have completed the first year of their apprenticeship paying the £4.30 per hour minimum wage apprentice rate before or after an apprenticeship actually starts or finishes not paying for all the time worked by an apprentice – training time is working time Robert Candy, Chief Executive of the Scaffolding Association said “The construction industry is suffering from significant skills shortages and apprenticeships can provide an excellent start for many seeking a career in the industry”. A report published by the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) last year found that 37% of the construction workforce are over the age of 50 and estimated that 217,000 workers will need to be recruited into the industry over the next 5 years. Robert Candy added “Attracting a new generation of workers is critical but this is only part of the problem – keeping them is just as important. Paying them correctly, providing training that is relevant and embraces modern innovation and technology and ensuring qualifications gained provide access to work are all vital to the growth and success of apprenticeships across all sectors”. For more information on apprenticeships and to get involved in National Apprenticeship Week click here.
Dulux Academy has supported National Apprenticeship Week for the third consecutive year. This year’s theme is ‘Blaze a Trail’, which aims to showcase and celebrate the passion and energy that apprentices bring. Working across its college partners, Dulux Academy has actively involved and celebrated the passion of seventy-five apprentices, taking its ‘Water-based Challenge’ on the road. The challenge aims to educate and inform apprentices about the benefits of using water-based products and demonstrate the practical application tips and techniques which are required to create a fantastic finish. Following a theory session, apprentices received their own application accessories pack and took on a panelled door challenge using the Dulux Colour of the Year 2019, Spiced Honey, competing to be recognised as the individual winner of an exclusive National Apprenticeship Week Golden Paintbrush Award. “National Apprenticeship Week is an important date in our annual events calendar. The partnership between industry and education provides an opportunity to inspire apprentices, their employers, college tutors and the painting and decorating industry as a whole,” said Vickie Mather from Dulux Academy. “We’ve outlined our commitments to the future of the decorating profession in our ‘Joint Minds Charter’ that our college partnerships have signed up to. This charter confirms the direct student benefits involved in partnering with Dulux Academy. To date we have delivered over 1,000 hours of supported learning to college students and apprentices demonstrating the joint commitment to upskilling the next generation of trade professionals,” added Vickie. National Apprenticeship Week aims to shine a spotlight on apprenticeships as a great path for people at any stage of their career; from those starting out, to those wanting to reskill or change careers. It comes at a time when the need for trade apprentices has never been greater, with a 34 per cent decline in painting and decorating qualifications being achieved through colleges. So it’s fitting that Dulux Academy has also recruited a new painting and decorating apprentice, Laura Ashby. Laura is a career changer with a passion for interiors and decorating, she joins the team to gain practical experience alongside completing her formal qualification. “As a mature student, returning to college would be a big financial commitment so the opportunity to learn on the job from industry leaders was very appealing. The Dulux Academy Painting and Decorating apprenticeship will provide me with the chance to make the move into an industry I’ve always aspired to work in. I’m looking forward to learning as much as possible about something I have a real passion for from experts in the field,” Laura said.
With the present skill shortages oft reported across the construction (and related services) industry, apprenticeships are commonly seen as a way forward for organisations to bring in new blood and train them up to a standard suitable, firstly for their own operations, and secondly for the wider sector where they may eventually venture out into. In support of this, a new apprenticeships resource pack has been announced to pre-empt celebrations of the benefits which both individuals and employers receive from on-the-job training. Assembled for the build-up to National Apprenticeship Week, the pack, available directly from the Skills Funding Agency, is poised to support organisations in communicating their activities over the course of National Apprenticeship Week – a clear nod to the importance of spreading understanding and awareness as a driver for the sector. In total, the event is expected to see hundreds of different events across England, between the 14th and 18th of March to celebrate apprenticeships and raise awareness, hopefully increasing further the level of interest on both sides of the fence; employer and apprentice. For the 20-14-2015 academic year is has been reported that some 871,000 people undertook funded apprenticeships over the period, sporting the highest values yet reported in the history of the study. This, highlights a keen (and important) interest in the pursuit of apprenticeships both from a career perspective and from the perspective of employers bringing in new blood to solve the skill shortages they are presently facing. With increased workloads also being reported across the industry, it’s certainly a good sign to see, with employers in dire need of addressing the shortage so as best to support the delivery of their service to an ever-expanding client base. Additionally, an additional area of focus is set to be traineeships, which is intended to be a stepping stone up to apprenticeships, encouraging people to get involved in this line of progression yet further. The main aim of such traineeships is, as to be expected, to give individuals the opportunity to undertake work experience and training in advance of an apprenticeship so that they can come better prepared, more confident and more capable to suit the requirements of their future employer.
