On Thursday 8 March we were pleased to welcome local and national employers, university colleagues and fellow educators to the launch of the University’s Centre for Higher and Degree Apprenticeships, opened by Professor April McMahon, Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Education.
Coinciding with National Apprenticeship Week 2017, the launch was a demonstration of Kent’s commitment to supporting the government’s target of creating 3 million apprenticeship starts by 2020 and growing the number of high quality apprenticeships available.
It was an excellent opportunity for employers to share experiences with one another and discuss common challenges. The launch provided a valuable networking opportunity, with attendees forging positive new connections.
We were fortunate to hear from key organisations within the higher and degree apprenticeship landscape: the SFA and Hefce. Representatives shared insight about the changes to the apprenticeship system and information on how organisations can best prepare. Employers large and small shared their experiences of hiring apprentices and outlined their strategies for future engagement.
We were particularly delighted to welcome one of our apprentices to talk about her experiences of the Laboratory Scientist apprenticeship. Jess, an apprentice for GSK, shared some of the opportunities that had arisen from being a higher apprentice, including offering guidance to new apprentices and representing GSK at numerous national events.
Colleagues Scott and Emma were able to outline the support the Centre can offer employers who are interested in developing their apprenticeship provision, such as upskilling existing members of the workforce, advertising apprenticeship vacancies and identifying standards aligned to organisations’ needs. Emma was also able to share some of the Centre’s experience of being involved with trailblazer groups, and for those unfamiliar with the system she was able to provide an introduction to the process for creating new apprenticeship standards.
Those interested in Kent’s apprenticeship provision, but were unable to attend the event should email apprenticeships@kent.ac.uk for further information.