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Businesses to receive apprenticeship support at first Nottingham Apprenticeship Conference

The first Nottingham Apprenticeship Conference is to be hosted by Nottingham Trent University (NTU) to support businesses interested in employing an apprentice.

    Two men at a desk
    NTU offers a range of higher and degree apprenticeships

    As part of National Apprenticeship Week, the event at Trent Bridge Cricket Ground on Thursday 6 February is being run in conjunction with Nottingham College and Nottingham Jobs and will bring together businesses from across all sectors and industries.

    Attendees will receive practical advice and guidance on how to access the tangible benefits apprenticeships can bring to a business, as well as information on funding and the apprenticeships on offer in the local area.

    Sir John Peace, currently Chairman of the Midlands Engine Partnership and Midlands Connect, will give a keynote speech on The Future of Nottingham, which will be followed by industry specific roundtable discussions with employers, apprenticeship providers and apprentices.

    NTU offers a range of higher and degree apprenticeships and works with companies of all sizes, including Realm Projects, a Mansfield-based commercial joinery specialist company.

    Realm Projects co-founder and director, Graeme Blakey, approached NTU to help get new talent through the door. He said: ““The apprentices we’ve taken in the past have been bench joinery, so this was the first time we’d considered an apprenticeship for an office-based role.

    “As an SME we often find that graduates or young people have the impression that they have to get experience or training with a really big company and don’t realise the wider opportunities that are available to them by joining a smaller business.

    “Many of our previous joinery apprentices have developed their career here and have progressed into technical draughting and project management roles, so there are lots of opportunities to progress here.”

    Sam Hickling started his five-year apprenticeship with Realm Projects in September 2019. He said: “I would very strongly recommend doing an apprenticeship. After completing my A-levels, I decided that I wanted to prioritise working over further study, but this is an opportunity to do both.

    “When working, you retain the information you learn a lot better as you can actually put it into practice.”

    Head of Apprenticeships at NTU, Fliss Miller, said: “Apprenticeships can help to diversify a workforce and offer real opportunities to grow a business. This event brings together, for the first time, major organisations involved in apprenticeships in Nottingham to support those wishing to explore the benefits.”

    To register a place at the conference of for further information contact the NTU apprenticeship team via email

    NTU is also hosting a Meet the Employer event on Wednesday 5 February where potential higher and degree apprentices can meet employers across a variety of sectors and industries keen to recruit new talent through an apprenticeship at NTU.

    ESF and DWP logos

    The Nottingham Apprenticeship Conference is part-funded by the European Social Fund (ESF).

    • Notes for editors

      Press enquiries please contact Helen Breese, Public Relations Manager, on telephone +44 (0)115 848 8751, or via email.

      About Nottingham Trent University

      Nottingham Trent University (NTU) was named University of the Year 2019 in the Guardian University Awards. The award was based on performance and improvement in the Guardian University Guide, retention of students from low-participation areas and attainment of BME students. NTU was also the Times Higher Education University of the Year 2017, and The Times and Sunday Times Modern University of the Year 2018. These awards recognise NTU for its high levels of student satisfaction, its quality of teaching, its engagement with employers, and its overall student experience.

      The university has been rated Gold in the Government’s Teaching Excellence Framework – the highest ranking available.

      It is one of the largest UK universities. With nearly 32,000 students and more than 4,000 staff located across four campuses, the University contributes £900m to the UK economy every year. With an international student population of more than 3,000 from around 100 countries, the University prides itself on its global outlook

      The university is passionate about creating opportunities and its extensive outreach programme is designed to enable NTU to be a vehicle for social mobility. NTU is among the UK’s top five recruiters of students from disadvantaged backgrounds and was awarded University of the Year in the UK Social Mobility Awards 2019. A total of 82% of its graduates go on to graduate entry employment or graduate entry education or training within six months of leaving. Student satisfaction is high: NTU achieved an 87% satisfaction score in the 2019 National Student Survey.

      A total of 82% of its graduates go on to graduate entry employment or graduate entry education or training within six months of leaving. Student satisfaction is high: NTU achieved an 87% satisfaction score in the 2019 National Student Survey.

      NTU is also one of the UK’s most environmentally friendly universities, containing some of the sector’s most inspiring and efficient award-winning buildings.

      NTU is home to world-class research, and won The Queen’s Anniversary Prize in 2015 – the highest national honour for a UK university. It recognised the University’s pioneering projects to improve weapons and explosives detection in luggage; enable safer production of powdered infant formula; and combat food fraud.

    Published on 29 January 2020
    • Category: Press office