National Apprenticeship Week 2018 was officially
launched at the BBC today – with the announcement of a new
ground-breaking apprenticeship programme.
Held at BBC Broadcasting House with social mobility charity, the
Sutton Trust, the launch event was hosted by BBC Home Affairs
Editor Mark Easton and Claire Paul, the BBC’s Director of
Leadership Development and New Talent. Secretary of State for
Education MP, BBC Director General Tony
Hall and Sue Husband, Director of the National Apprenticeship
Service were all in attendance.
The ‘Apprenticeships Work’ themed National Apprenticeship
Week is the 11th annual week-long celebration of
apprenticeships and during the week employers and apprentices
from across England will come together to showcase the success of
apprenticeships whilst encouraging even more people to choose
apprenticeships as a pathway to a great career.
Secretary of State for Education MP said:
I welcome the ambitions of BBC Academy and the Sutton Trust to
increase the number of disadvantaged young people taking up
apprenticeships.
Apprenticeships play a crucial role in helping people realise
their potential as they learn and earn, and are providing
employers with the skilled workforce our country needs.
This National Apprenticeship Week we want to show that
apprenticeships offer a great route into skilled employment for
people of all ages and backgrounds, so that everyone can access
the excellent career opportunities apprenticeships offer.
The new apprenticeship programme announced today by the BBC will
be based in London and Salford and has been designed to support
50 school leavers from socially diverse backgrounds, to apply for
apprenticeships, developed with advice from the Sutton Trust. The
programme will run from September 2018 to March 2020 and will
prepare students for applications to apprenticeships in the BBC
and wider creative sector - including the BBC Production, Digital
Journalism and Broadcast Operations schemes which start in
September 2020.
Claire Paul, the BBC’s Director of Leadership and New Talent
said:
This new scheme aims to give a leg up to young people who have
the raw talent to succeed but perhaps don’t have the confidence
to apply for highly competitive apprenticeships. We’ll be
offering them training in a wide range of employability skills
such as interview techniques and coaching to give them an equal
shot at success.
Sir Peter Lampl, Founder and Chairman of the Sutton Trust added:
The government’s target for apprenticeships by 2020 is 3
million. We know that young people from low and moderate income
backgrounds are much less likely than their peers to take up
the most prestigious apprenticeships.
To make sure apprenticeships fulfil their potential as a
vehicle for social mobility, it will be crucial to improve
access to those that offer real alternatives to A-levels and
degrees. The BBC’s new programme will play an important part by
enabling more young people from low-income homes to access
high-quality apprenticeships in the media.
Sue Husband, Director of the National Apprenticeship Service
concluded:
Having the 11th National Apprenticeship Week launch with the
news of this commitment from the BBC is great for the sector,
for employers, for local communities and for individuals who
are looking to progress in their career through an
apprenticeship.
We want to see workforces represent the community they serve
and it’s great to see committed employers like the BBC develop
strategies and programmes to extend the reach of their
apprenticeship programme to socially diverse backgrounds.
I am looking forward to hearing more this week about what other
employers have planned to ensure they open up their
apprenticeship programmes to individuals who may not typically
have considered them applicable and achievable themselves.
Jason Holt CBE and Chief Executive of HoltsGroup was announced as
Chair of the Apprenticeship Ambassador Network at today’s launch
event.
The Apprenticeship Ambassador
Network aims to grow the apprenticeship programme by
engaging with new employers whilst promoting all aspects of
apprenticeships - including traineeships, higher level
apprenticeships and introducing new sectors to apprenticeships.
A second BBC programme, also announced today, will be based in
Cardiff, Wales and will offer 10 full time, paid, pre-employment
traineeships to high potential raw talent with the ambition to
apply for 10 BBC Wales Journalism Apprenticeships. The programme
will be supported by further opportunities for young people to
attend BBC ‘Boot Camp’ training sessions and access to work
experience placements.
You can find images from the event on the National Apprenticeships Service
Flickr page.
