The theme for National Apprenticeship Week 2021 is “Build the Future” as we encourage everyone to consider how apprenticeships can help individuals to develop the skills and knowledge required for a rewarding career, and employers to build a workforce with future ready skills.
Councillor Patricia Stallard, Hampshire County Council Executive Lead Member for Apprenticeships, said,“The theme of this year’s National Apprenticeship Week is Build the Future and that is certainly what we are doing within the County Council and across Hampshire.
“Apprenticeships are a key element of the County Council’s Employment and Skills strategy for post-pandemic economic recovery, to ensure that we will have people with the skills that employers require to meet local needs. Consequently, we are very excited to launch our Apprenticeships and Skills hub this week in the north of the county. The new hub will work with businesses to match unemployed people with apprenticeship opportunities and tackle skill shortages.
“We have also doubled the allocation of Levy transfer funds to £2 million to support Hampshire businesses to commit to new apprenticeships, a move that has been particularly welcomed by the care sector.”
Cllr Stallard added, “I am happy to report that not only have our school and corporate apprenticeships continued despite the pandemic, at the end of 2020 we surpassed the milestone of 1000 County Council apprentices funded by the Apprenticeship Levy. A year ago, most of our apprenticeship training was delivered face to face, but in response to lockdown, we worked with training providers to change to completely online learning. Since then, we have welcomed nearly 200 new starts in 37 different apprenticeships – a fantastic turnaround in a very short time, thanks to the efforts of our staff, managers and services.”
The eagerly anticipated £3 million Apprenticeships & Skills Hub for north Hampshire and Surrey, funded by Hampshire County Council and the European Social Fund (ESF), has been launched during National Apprenticeship Week (8-12 February) with a series of virtual events for employers, supported by the Apprenticeships Minister.
Councillor Patricia Stallard, Hampshire County Council’s Executive Lead Member for Children’s Services and Young People, said: “The new EM3 Apprenticeship & Skills Hub, partly funded by a grant from the European Social Fund, is a central pillar of the County Council’s Employment and Skills Action Plan, developed in response to the impact of Covid-19. Working with the Enterprise M3 Local Enterprise Partnership, the Hub will provide an impartial service to small and medium enterprises (SMEs), supporting businesses to create hundreds of new apprenticeship and training opportunities for young people age 16-24 who have been most affected by the pandemic and who are facing the biggest barriers to enter employment.
To learn more about apprenticeship transfer opportunities for employers, visit Hampshire Futures.
Local Apprenticeships
TVBC
To celebrate National Apprenticeship week, Test Valley Borough Council are showcasing the young people taking part in their apprenticeships on their Facebook page here.
Find out more about TVBC apprenticeship opportunities at www.testvalley.gov.uk/apprentices
Andover College
Find out where an Apprenticeship with Andover College could take you or your business by staying tuned this week, or heading to their website now. http://bit.ly/ACApprenticeships
They are also showcasing young people and busiiness owners who have signed up to apprenticeships on their Facebook page here
