The Apprenticeship Employment Digest

Welcome!

We are part of the Nicholas Associates Group of companies, which includes; Stafforce, Nicholas Associates, Ashley Kate HR & Finance, Cra-Cro, MainBoard and business improvement services Olano & NA Software. We are pleased to introduce ourselves to you and share with you our Apprenticeship Employment Digest.

We trust that you will find this newsletter insightful and hope it adds some value to you and your business. To feature in our next issue or work with us to write guest articles, co-host events or any other queries please do not hesitate to contact us.

Kind regards,

The Apprentice Employment Agency

0345 003 0007

info@apprentice-employment.co.uk

We're a Youth Friendly Employer!

We are proud to announce that we are now recognised as a Youth Friendly Employer. We have incorporated the Youth Friendly Employer badge into our branding to signify we are an employer who cares. We are proud to be part of an initiative which is considered highly by young people and also recognised by organisations such as Coca-Cola, McDonald’s, BT Group and more. By being a Youth Friendly Employer, we demonstrate our commitment to providing opportunities to young people, regardless of skills or experience. We ensure that all our opportunities offer fair pay, great training and the necessary support required to allow young people to grow.

If you’d like to like to learn more about our partnership with Youth Employment UK, read our blog by clicking here!

Results Day – What you need to know

As you may know, the exam season has recently concluded for young people across the UK – but what does that mean for your business?

Students recently sat down for their GCSEs, starting on the 15th of May and running to the 22nd of June. Throughout the course of this, young people may have been actively applying for apprenticeship roles. If you’re looking to offer an applicant a role but it’s based on specific entry requirements, we will ask applicants for their exam results the day following they receive them.

Results day dates are as follows:

AS and A Level results day – 17th August

GCSE results day – 24th August

The AEA Apprentice Awards

At our apprentice award this year, we recognised the outstanding work achieved by our fantastic apprentices at our annual Apprentice Awards ceremony. It was an excellent opportunity to celebrate all our apprentices who worked hard and exceeded expectations in their apprenticeships in 2022.

This year, our Apprentice of the Year Award has been renamed in memory and tribute to our Apprentice, George Hart, who sadly lost his battle with cancer in late 2022. The George Hart Apprentice of the Year Award recognises the commitment and dedication shown by George during his apprenticeship. George continued to work on his training and attend his workplace throughout his chemotherapy treatment when he was able to. Renaming this award is a fitting tribute to George’s memory, who undoubtedly inspired us all here at the Apprentice Employment Agency and DSV Air & Sea.

The George Hart Apprentice of the Year!

Congratulations to Chloe Genney at Tronox on winning the George Hart Apprentice of the Year award!

“Chloe’s line manager and workplace colleagues at Tronox have said Chloe always demonstrates her commitment to learning, consistently delivering work at the highest standards. Her attitude to work is outstanding, and her behaviour towards colleagues is mature and respectful. She sets an example for others showing her passion, determination, and diligence.

Chloe consistently shows her dedication to work; she is the first person to help others and finds ways to achieve what is best for the department and her colleagues. She constantly challenges herself and already develops two new test initiatives in the laboratory. Chloe has also undertaken quality management testing at Tronox in Europe. She loves solving many projects and is highly respected & a valuable part of the team.”

Our other award winners & nomination reasons

The Rising Star Award – Paul Cowdroy (DSV)

“Paul has played a lead role in automating many software packages. Paul has personally built and rolled out this automation now being used in several countries. This has led to huge cost savings & totalling up to hundreds of man hours being saved.

Paul has gained huge recognition within his division and the wider DSV business. Paul’s team can’t speak highly enough of him, to such an extent that at around halfway through his apprenticeship, he was already at a stage where his manager would have hired him into the role with absolute confidence.”

The Being Their Best Award – James McCann (VPI)

“James is a first-year apprentice and his apprenticeship teaching team shared that he’s a bright and capable apprentice. He regularly displays a quality of thinking that takes him outside the norm. He is very conscientious and will also help others. James exceeds expectations with the quality of his contributions, questions, and application. He is fully engaged in lessons and is fully committed to ensuring that he achieves the best he can in his apprenticeship.”

The Future Leader Award – Lola Turner (VPI)

“Lola is a second-year apprentice, currently at college for one day per week, with 4 days on-site. She has been working shift patterns throughout the past 6 months and has proven herself as a capable and confident apprentice. Lola often challenges the status quo to develop new and positive outcomes for herself and her surrounding colleagues. She is working diligently towards the completion of her apprenticeship and actively participating in many VPI apprentice initiatives.”

Giving Something Back

Our commitment to being best in class by operating ethically and with a culture of giving back to society means we maintain our strong family values and sense of making a difference. Our Mission is ‘To enable people to be their best’ and this aligns perfectly with our CSR ethos of ‘Empowering People’. We choose our partners based on having synergy with our own core values and an emphasis on empowering those less advantaged than ourselves by providing them with the support to improve themselves – leading us to our national charity partner for this year, Cancer Research.

We are taking part in the Pretty Muddy 5K event in Hull on the 16th of July. All monies raised will be donated to Cancer Research. All donations will be greatly appreciated for such an important cause. You can donate by clicking here!

From Bristol to Base Camp!

Recently, our Executive Chairman, Nick Cragg, took part in PHASE Worldwide’s Bristol to Base Camp challenge.

PHASE stands for Practical Help Achieving Self Empowerment. Through delivery of programs in primary health, education and alternate income generation through better horticulture, husbandry and agriculture, people in remote Nepalese Himalayan villages are able to take control of their own destiny, giving them more independence.

The trek to the South Base Camp took 16 days, during which they ascended to an altitude of 17,598 feet. The total amount raised exceeded £31,000 for the charity which will help continue its vital work in Nepal and help to change the lives of thousands of more vulnerable families in remote communities. To find out more about Nick’s journey, please click here!

Fantastic night at the CATCH Annual Dinner

Jakki and Jan attended the CATCH Annual Dinner recently and were happy to report they had a brilliant evening. They shared a table with representatives from United Rentals & Parker Technical, talking all things apprentice and the sector.

The CATCH Annual Dinner brings together members and stakeholders from across the industry, providing those across Yorkshire, Lincolnshire and Humber the opportunity to network and entertain valued clients.

Off the back of this, we’re pleased to announce that AEA will be sponsoring the “Employer Award” at the CATCH Apprentice End-of-Year celebrations. The event will take place on the 6th of July, celebrating the apprentices’ completion of their first year with the business before progressing into the next phase of their apprenticeship.

We can’t wait to attend next year’s Annual Dinner as well as the Apprentice End-of-Year celebrations coming up soon!

One to look out for...

On the 29th of June, the 2023 rankings of the Top 100 Apprenticeship Employers and Top 50 SME Apprenticeship Employers will be broadcasted live. The event will showcase and celebrate the UK’s leading apprenticeship employers as well as apprenticeship showcases and pieces from guest speakers.

Entries have now closed for submitting your business as a top apprenticeship employer. However, if you’re looking to register and watch the live broadcast, please click here to do so and/or learn more.

We are a Flexi-Job Apprenticeship Agency - What does this mean?

A Flexi-Job Apprenticeship Agency is an organisation that employs apprentices and places them with a Host Employer to complete apprenticeship training, enabling them to gain the skills and knowledge to complete their apprenticeship qualification and open up future employment opportunities. Flexi-Job Apprenticeship Agencies provide an alternative model for apprentice employment, supporting businesses in specific sectors, professions or locations to overcome barriers preventing them from employing apprentices directly.

If an employer has a lower headcount or lacks resources to source apprentices, Flexi-Job Agencies will help the employer. For example, suppose there is unmet demand for apprenticeships due to the propensity of short-term/temporary contracts. In that case, a Flexi-Job Apprenticeship Agency will offer support to assist in completing a full apprenticeship.

Our Wider Group

What skills are in demand for 2023?

Read about what skills are most-in demand in this blog by one of our partner brands, Olano.
22 years in business, what's the secret?

Our partner brand, Ashley Kate HR & Finance recently celebrated their 22nd anniversary. Read about how they reached this milestone!
Mental health impacts within the construction industry

Nicholas Associates raises awareness on the mental health impacts that the industry faces in their latest blog.

Supporting young people

So, you’re seriously considering hiring an apprentice, but how can you attract the top young talent around? That’s where we come in. We help our clients expand their talent pool and grow their business by providing apprentice employment solutions.

Our four core offers

Apprentice talent attraction (Recruitment)
Outsourced apprenticeship management services
Apprenticeship Levy ROI & implementation consultancy
Apprentice employment services (ATA)

Apprentice employment is not one of the things we do, it’s all we do. for more information you can contact Jakki Lovewell on 0345 003 0007 or visit our website.

Visit Website

And finally....

Are you following us on LinkedIn? It’s the only way to make sure that you stay up-to-date with the latest information regarding Apprenticeship news and recruitment. We regularly post articles and hints and tips for employers and apprentices alike.

Follow us today and join our network.

You can also connect with our Head of Apprenticeships Jakki Lovewell

The Apprentice Employment Agency is part of the Nicholas Associates Group of companies which means our clients can benefit from the broader portfolio of services that our wider Group of companies can offer. We can support your strategic operational goals and contribute to the development of a successful talent strategy; adding tangible value by supporting talent management from Apprentices right through to the Boardroom.

Find out more

The Rising Star Award – Paul Cowdroy (DSV)

The Being Their Best Award – James McCann (VPI)

The Future Leader Award – Lola Turner (VPI)

What skills are in demand for 2023?

22 years in business, what's the secret?

Mental health impacts within the construction industry

Our four core offers

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