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#LookBeyond themed National Apprenticeship Week round up

Here’s what happened during this year’s National Apprenticeship Week #NAW2020

  • Over 900 stakeholder events took place celebrating the diversity of apprenticeships
  • New Mumsnet research revealed parental misconceptions of apprenticeships
  • Social media activity soared, with #NAW2020 trending No. 1, UK wide on launch day;
  • AskAnApprentice and #AskAnEmployer online Q&A’s reached hundreds of employers and individuals

Celebrating the many benefits of apprenticeships, through its theme ‘Look Beyond’, the spotlight was shone during National Apprenticeship Week 2020 on the diverse range of apprenticeships available and diversity in apprentices undertaking them.

Over 900 events, aimed at parents, teachers and individuals, took place across the country  during the 13th annual National Apprenticeship Week.

The Week began with its first event, a visit from Secretary of State Gavin Williamson to apprenticeship employer Mace in London. The construction company recruit apprentices across all construction disciplines.

Over the duration of the Week, other visits took place, including Eileen Milner, Chief Executive of the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) visiting Munday & Cramer Chartered Surveyors, who ran a ‘You’re Hired’ event. Keith Smith, Director, Apprenticeships Group, also of the ESFA, attended the Hospitality Apprenticeship Showcase at the House of Commons and the BAE Systems plc UK Apprentice Awards.

An event hosted by the ESFA to celebrate the Apprenticeship Diversity Champions Network (ADCN) took place on Thursday 6 February at the House of Commons, with over 100 ADCN members and apprentices in attendance, reflecting on their many successes over the past 12 months.

Amongst those in attendance were Avon and Somerset Constabulary who have trained 65 internal Diversity Champions, beating their target of 50. The BBC shared their gender balance statistics from their 2019 apprentice cohort, with 48% being female, whilst one of their STEM initiatives had a 41 per cent representation of females into roles.  And ADCN member BAE Systems shared news that by September 2019, they had 723 apprentice starts, of which twenty three per cent were female and forty per cent at higher and Degree apprenticeship level. Around fifteen per cent of BAE apprentices have a disability or learning difficulty, and over twenty per cent come from some of the most deprived wards in the England.

New research by Mumsnet revealed outdated views of apprenticeships are holding young people back.

Social media hashtags for the week – #NAW2020 and #LookBeyond – trended no. 1 UK wide on Twitter, supported by the success of our launch day tweet, featuring National Apprenticeship Award winners and advocates of apprenticeships.

BBC Asian Network dedicated their ‘Guru Hour’ to apprenticeships for the first time. Ekansh Sharma, a ‘Fire It Up’ campaign star and Software Engineering apprentice from Accenture and Tasmia Tahia, a Civil Service apprentice and Young Apprentice Ambassador Network Member, took part, alongside Mathew Scamp, a senior careers adviser with the National Careers Service.

Apprentices, apprentice employers, parents and teachers all got behind the Week, adding the ‘We’re fired up’ badge to social media profiles. London Learning Consortium were just one of many supporters of apprenticeships to take part in the ‘Making Impact’ social media series.

Keith Smith, Director, Apprenticeships Group, ESFA said:

Another phenomenal week of apprenticeships celebration draws to a close. I am delighted to have seen so many inspiring apprentices and their employers celebrate their diversity, successes and achievements through the hundreds of events that have taken place.

We’ve been delighted by the number of stakeholders who have used the assets we shared, collectively demonstrating the impact, progress and waves apprenticeships make on businesses and individuals alike. Together, we have busted misconceptions, embraced the diversity apprenticeships offer and hopefully have opened up minds to the idea that apprenticeships do fire up careers.

Thanks to everyone for getting involved in National Apprenticeship Week 2020 and let’s keep looking beyond throughout this year at the opportunities apprenticeships offer.


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