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Looking Back On National Apprenticeship Week 2017

10 Mar 2017

Looking Back On National Apprenticeship Week 2017

Well, it’s been another eventful National Apprenticeship Week in 2017!

And, as the curtains fall on another year for #NAW2017, let’s highlight just a small handful of the many encouraging stories from the week...

One major story is that Santander UK, the British bank which is owned by a Spanish parent group, has announced it will create 400 apprenticeships and 140 traineeships in the next two years.

The two-month traineeships at Santander, to be based at Bootle in Merseyside and Bradford in Yorkshire, are designed to filter strong young talent into the company’s banking apprenticeships once they graduate from the traineeship scheme.

Mitchells & Butlers, the massive catering group behind high street eatery names such All Bar One and Toby Carvery has also this week announced that it will be boosting its apprenticeship ranks from a current level of 1,800 to 5,000 before the end of 2020.

KFC, which has already added an amazing 600 new apprenticeships in the last five years, has said it will launch even more new programmes for young people in the near future, including Level 2 apprenticeships in Food & Beverage Services along with Level 3,4 & 5 Apprenticeships in Leadership & Management.

Shaun Dickinson, an Assistant Restaurant General Manager for KFC, who himself graduated from the fast food chain’s apprenticeship scheme, enthused: “The apprenticeship has been an amazing opportunity and fantastic for my career. Not only has it given me a second chance at further education, but it’s also given me the confidence to go after my career ambitions with the knowledge that I am capable of achieving.”

Backing him up, KFC UK & Ireland’s Head of Education and Recruitment, said: “We’re really proud of our apprentices and the programme. As a forward thinking business, we always look to nurture the potential of our team members, and our apprenticeship programmes allow us to do that. It’s not only a great opportunity for our people but for the business as a whole, as we continue to grow.”

Network Rail said that it wants to offer an extra 150 apprenticeships, and, as an added bonus during the week which also saw International Women’s Day, announced that it would increase its female headcount by a fifth in the next three years.

Other contenders getting behind the National Apprenticeship Week 2017 vibe included UNESCO World Heritage Site Blenheim Palace which pledged to train up over 100 new apprentices in the next ten years and construction firm Redrow which has just created 100 positions on its apprenticeship programme.

Chief Executive of Blenheim Palace, Dominic Hare, said: “Blenheim Palace cannot flourish in a vacuum. Ultimately we can only achieve our best when the community around us also thrives. These apprenticeship schemes have the potential to offer life-changing opportunities for youngsters in our local community.”

“We believe providing apprenticeships throughout the Estate is vitally important to our future success and we plan to expand and develop our scheme over the coming years. We plan to triple our economic contribution to the local area in the coming decade and investing in local people and developing the skills of our existing workforce is a key way to achieve that.”

“Our aim is to train in excess of 100 apprentices over the next 10 years in a wide variety of key roles,” added Mr Hare.

Does it sound like an apprenticeship is the perfect way into a perfect career for you? Then check out our complete section of UK Apprenticeships for more details of the hundreds of sectors you can work in and apply for live apprentice jobs now!

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