Salford City College

On the evening of 18 February 2021, Apprenticeships at Salford City College were awarded the Gold award for ‘Learning Provider of the Year’ at the 2021 Learning Awards. The Learning Awards is an annual awards ceremony hosted by the Learning and Performance Institute (LPI). It recognises innovation and achievement in workplace learning. The ‘Learning Provider of the Year’ Award is presented to an enterprise that provides learning services to external clients. Winners are chosen through demonstrating consistent high-quality and innovation,

We have recently celebrated National Apprenticeship Week (8 – 14 February).

It was very different this year, like so many other events and celebrations. Many innovative digital events were held across the country to celebrate all that is great about apprenticeships. From recognising apprentices themselves and celebrating their successes as they develop great careers, to highlighting the vital contributions made by the thousands of employers who commit finance, time and resource into developing great apprentices. Also, it is important not to forget the many organisations and businesses within the apprenticeship sector,

Youth unemployment levels have rocketed in recent months as the lockdown period has really had a negative impact on entry level jobs, with an additional 154,000 young people out of work. This huge growth in unemployment risks impacting the future of this current generation for many years to come.

Over recent months, we have held a communication campaign urging employers to maintain their investment in apprentices, detailing the great attributes that new, young talent can have in supporting business through these turbulent times ahead.

There have been some incredibly challenging times in recent months in the apprenticeship sector. Like the vast majority of organisations we have had to adapt quickly to new ways of working in order to support the employers and apprentices we work with. However, as we transition back to our normal proactive ways, we can reflect on a number of amazing positives that we have seen over this turbulent period. Firstly, as a result of the huge amounts of hard work in recent years to raise the profile of apprenticeships,

Monday 3rd February was the first day of what is a very important week in the apprenticeship calendar. National Apprenticeship Week is an annual celebration of all that is amazing about apprenticeship programmes. This year, National Apprenticeship Week is even more special for Apprenticeships at Salford City College, as we celebrate our tenth year of delivering apprenticeship programmes. In that period, we have supported over 1,000 employers, and delivered apprenticeship programmes to many local people, with just over 1,500 apprentices supported in the last academic year alone.