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Celebrating the impact of apprenticeships on individuals and businesses during National Apprenticeship Week 2021

The annual, week-long campaign took place between 8 and 14 February, and we were pleased to welcome employers and apprentices alike to our various virtual events.

    National Apprenticeship Week 2021

    Employers had the opportunity to engage in lively Q&As with our expert apprenticeship team and course leaders, exploring our exciting portfolio of provisions and seeing how apprenticeships can provide a cost-effective solution to upskilling their staff and recruiting exciting new talent.

    This year also saw the return of our annual Meet the Employer event. Potential apprentices were able to chat virtually with employers and explore recruitment opportunities with industry and sector leaders, keen on investing in new talent.

    Nottingham Trent University (NTU) Degree Apprenticeship Manager David Drury said: “National Apprenticeship Week (NAW) is a great opportunity to celebrate the diversity of opportunity and value that apprenticeships bring, and how they can help individuals and employers build their future. We were pleased that so many employers and schools choose to support us by co-hosting our Meet the Employer events, and attending our expert Q&A sessions.”

    In addition to NAW 2021, we also announced the finalists of our NTU Apprenticeship Awards. The awards ceremony will be hosted virtually this year on 5 May 2021, and with over 60 apprentices and employers nominated, we’re looking forward to an evening dedicated to celebrating the hard work, success, and achievements of our many excellent apprentices and employers.

    Liza Julian, RJA Consultants

    What do our apprentices and employers think of our programme?

    We caught up with Will Legge, Director of Strategy and Transformation at East Midlands Ambulance Service NHS Trust (EMAS), who is currently doing a Senior Leader Masters Degree Apprenticeship (MBA qualification).

    He told us: “In terms of the support offered by NTU and EMAS throughout the course, it’s been absolutely fantastic. I’ve had regular academic and employer mentor meetings to make sure I’m coping with the workload. I’ve also had the opportunity to use my newfound skills where I work.”

    Apprentice employer and Director at RJA Consultants Liza Julian added: “We had our first two apprentices in 2019, and have since gone on to recruit six apprentices across all years at NTU. The reasons for that is because the calibre of apprentices coming through is exceptional and we also have a really good working relationship with NTU. They answer any queries we have and assist us with any paperwork we need to do to reserve funding for the apprenticeship programmes.”

    Apprenticeship incentive
    *The £2,000 incentive is on top of an existing £1,000 incentive that already exists for 18-year-old apprentices as well as certain 19 to 24 year-olds.

    It’s never been more affordable for businesses to take on an apprentice

    With a brand new bonus introduced for businesses to hire apprentices over the next six months, this means that employers could receive up to £3,000* for hiring an apprentice between August 2020 to March 2021 (extended from January 2021).

    Find out what this means for your business in a post-pandemic landscape, and how the team here at NTU can help you to stay competitive and develop, diversify and retain your workforce cost-effectively.

    Please get in touch with our Apprenticeships team by emailing apprenticeships@ntu.ac.uk or phoning 0115 848 2589, and find out how we can help your business today.

    Published on 17 February 2021
    • Category: Business; Current students; Staff