First cohort of Publishing Assistant apprentices join industry

The first ever cohort of Publishing Assistant apprentices have started their year-long programme of work and training this week.

All under the age of 25 and from diverse backgrounds, the apprentices will be working for some of the biggest publishers in the country.

LDN Apprenticeships are delighted to be delivering the first ever Publishing Assistant Apprenticeship Standard with the support of the Publishers Association. Companies involved in the first ground-breaking cohort include; Penguin Random House, HarperCollins, Cambridge University Press, Pearson, Springer Nature, Bloomsbury and DK.

The programme is designed to identify young people with great potential and shape them to become skilled Publishing Assistants through a year of industry-led work and training. Announced earlier this year, the Standard is the first of its kind to cater specifically to the publishing industry.

Heidi Mulvey is Head of Community Engagement at Cambridge University Press and has recently played an integral part in recruiting three Publishing Assistant Apprentices onto the CUP team. She said: “The new Publishing Assistant Apprenticeship offers an exciting new way to support our apprentices with exactly the skills and knowledge our industry needs. We are thrilled that our most recent recruits are joining the very first cohort and we wish all of them the very best of luck.”

Simon Bozzoli, CEO of LDN Apprenticeships, said: “Today is the culmination of months of hard work by the team at LDN Apprenticeships. Seeing the apprentices here at their induction today is a very special moment for all of us. It has been a privilege to work with the team at the Publishers Association and with so many fantastic businesses to make this apprenticeship a reality.”

Stephen Lotinga, Chief Executive of the Publishers Association, said: “It has been a real pleasure to meet the new apprentices today as they begin what we hope will be long and rewarding careers in publishing. We and our members have been very proud to support this initiative and we hope it will grow further in the coming years and become an important part of widening access to careers in publishing.”

The Publishing Assistant Apprenticeship Standard Curriculum is designed to be the perfect introduction to publishing. Course content has been authored by leading industry figures, bringing every aspect of the publishing process to life for the new recruits.

From editorial and production to rights management, Publishing Apprentices will learn essential industry knowledge at the same time as developing the skills and behaviours needed to thrive and progress in the industry.