During National Apprenticeship Week 2021 Minister for
Apprenticeships and Skills, , joined a meeting of the Apprenticeship Diversity
Champions Network to speak to members and announce the
appointment of a new chair.
Lia Nici, Member of Parliament for Great Grimsby, was appointed
and will be responsible for setting and shaping the network’s
objectives, working alongside the Education and Skills Funding
Agency.
The Apprenticeship Diversity Champions Network (ADCN) champions
apprenticeships and diversity amongst employers and encourages
more people from underrepresented groups including those with
disabilities, women and members of the Black, Asian and minority
ethnic communities, to consider apprenticeships. The network
supports the government’s commitment to increase the proportion
of apprenticeship starts and achievement rates by people from
BAME backgrounds, and starts and achievement rates from people
who declare a learning difficulty or disability. The group will
also support government ambition to improve female representation
in the STEM sector, and level up through offering more
opportunities to people from disadvantaged backgrounds.
The new chair is a passionate advocate for apprenticeships, having
worked in Further Education as a lecturer for 20 years. Lia also
has extensive experience in business, having held led several
local media organisations such as Estuary TV.
Lia said:
“I am delighted to have been invited to lead the Apprenticeship
Diversity Champions Network.
“Apprenticeships offer so much opportunity as we build the future
of the British economy, both to the individuals whose critical
skills will be in high demand, and for the employers who need
bright, and talented people to thrive.
“Working with brilliant employers like those in the ADCN will go
a long way to ensuring that such brilliant opportunities are open
and accessible to all. We need this richness of diversity in our
talent in order to stay competitive and to level the country up.”
Apprenticeships and Skills Minister said:
“We want to make sure that everyone, no matter where they live or
their experience, can gain the skills they need to get ahead.
Apprenticeships offer people of all ages and backgrounds the
chance to learn new skills whilst earning a salary, whether they
want to be a nurse, space engineer or a digital marketeer.
“I am delighted to appoint Lia Nici as the new chair of the
Apprenticeship Diversity Champions Network, she has a wealth of
experience and will play a key role in making sure that we level
up by developing talent from all parts of the country. I look
forward to working with her and the employer network to ensure
our workforces reflect the communities they serve.”
The network was established during National Apprenticeship week
2017 and has grown from 20 members to over 80 members
representing the private and public sectors, and ranging in size
from large, supra-national organisations, through to Small and
Medium enterprises. The apprenticeships they offer range from
nursing, to civil engineering, to digital marketing.
In order to join the network, each member makes a pledge to
improve diversity. The pledge that they make is up to them, but
must be measurable, stretching and achievable. Members then
report back on their progress and share how they managed to
achieve it.
Member Colas Rail has had huge success, achieving 17% of
Apprentices being female, and 24% coming from a BAME background.
They are committed to working with various organisations such as
the Young Westminster Foundation, NSAR, Women in Rail, SCOPE, and
UTCs in various locations to encourage diversity in their
apprentices.
Walsall Council, another member, is moving ahead with their Care
Leaver programme, and adapting to meet the specific needs of the
group. They have engaged with a contracted Recruitment Agency so
during National Apprenticeship Week they deliver a specific
interview skills session, and then provide one to one sessions to
Walsall’s Care Leavers and Looked after Children.
