Employers and their NTU apprentices discuss benefits of apprenticeships

Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust

Michelle Place, Apprenticeships and Widening Participation Lead at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, said: “Apprenticeships are a route into employment, which is tried and tested. We find our colleagues who come in via the apprenticeship route feel they have been invested in by us, and show incredible loyalty. We know our retention in our Apprentices is good.

“Apprenticeships allow us to recruit, and train, in particular roles that may be hard to recruit fully trained/experienced staff for. This is true in a number of roles, and we have successfully introduced apprenticeships in a number of areas.”

Laura E, who worked at Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust on the Level 5 Nursing Associate Higher Apprenticeship, said: “I have further developed necessary skills and experience to succeed in my chosen career in Nursing. It has allowed me to continue in paid employment alongside studying and expanding my knowledge, ultimately leading to me gaining an extra qualification and attaining the next step in my career ladder.

“I have also been able to gain insight and guidance from a range of healthcare professionals, alongside lecturers at university, and have felt extremely supported throughout. It has provided an excellent platform for networking and connecting with others who are also passionate about delivering high quality care."

EDGE

James Butler, Director at EDGE, said: “We’re always looking to attract the best people into the business and looking for local, younger people to come through into the construction industry, and to put them into an apprenticeship program when they can learn on the job was perfect for us. We chose NTU as our provider to be able to put our local apprentices through a local university that is highly regarded and RICS accredited to provide them a high level of learning.”

Elliot Holloway, who currently works at EDGE as part of the Level 6 Chartered Surveyor Apprenticeship and winner of NTU’s Outstanding Apprentice of the Year (Construction and Engineering), said: “To anyone considering a degree apprenticeship, I would 110% encourage them to go down that route. From the on-the-job experience, alongside the background knowledge from university, I have seen a big improvement in the work I have produced.”

For businesses who want to find out more about the benefits of an apprenticeship at NTU, the recruitment process and guidance on sector-specific courses, the university is running an Online Discovery Event on Tuesday 6 February.

For those considering becoming an apprentice, NTU is running an Apprenticeships Open Day offering an insight into the apprenticeship journey, the opportunity to meet prospective employers and the different options available, on Thursday 8 February.

David Drury, Degree Apprenticeships Manager at Nottingham Trent University, said: “The theme of National Apprenticeship Week 2024 is ‘Skills for Life’ and celebrates the many ways that apprentices are having a positive impact in workplaces and communities across the UK, like these examples from Experian, Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust and EDGE. We know from experience  how transformative the apprenticeship process can be. We hope our NAW2024 events might help those considering an apprenticeship to take the next step.”