NEW COLLEGE CELEBRATES NATIONAL APPRENTICESHIP WEEK 2019

Next week, New College Swindon will be celebrating the success that apprenticeships bring to students, alumni and employers.

New College currently offer apprenticeship options across three levels and eighteen subject areas, from Accounting and IT to Childcare and Digital Marketing. The College works with a variety of employers including The National Trust, Imagine Cruising and Cricklade House Hotel. The wide range of options provide apprentices with the opportunity to earn while they learn and progress through further study or promotion to a full-time role.

To celebrate National Apprenticeship Week, New College is running an Information Evening, on Tuesday 5th March. Year 10 and 11 pupils and their parents will be given the opportunity to hear more about the benefits of apprenticeships and the range of subjects New College offer, as well as the employers they work with.

Throughout the week, there will also a be display in the foyer area of the College. Quotes, testimonials and success stories will be on show, from apprentices and employers, sharing their experiences of how an apprenticeship has benefited their career, education or business. A social media campaign celebrating apprenticeships will also be running

throughout the week, across the College’s Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn pages, with a series of apprentice case studies and videos.

Apprenticeships are offered across a range of levels, from GCSE equivalent up to degree-level, meaning they are suited to a whole range of people, from school leavers, to those who are looking to retrain and learn a new skill. There are also many apprentice employer benefits including increased productivity and employee retention. Those who have an established apprenticeship programme reported that productivity in their workplace had improved by 76% and 90% of apprentices stay on in their workplace after completing their apprenticeship.

Carole Kitching, New College Principal and CEO said:

“Apprenticeships have been transformed in recent years and are a really brilliant way to develop your career in a huge range of professions. They are available at different levels and you can even progress to study at degree-level as part of an apprenticeship, without incurring tuition fees. New College offers many different programmes to help young people and adults train whilst working and earning money. I think National Apprenticeship Week is a great opportunity to help more people find out about what an Apprenticeship, or having an Apprentice, can mean for them. We’re also celebrating some of our apprentices’ success stories of course and letting people know what an apprenticeship has meant to them.”

Elliot Gingell is currently working towards a Level 4 Software Development apprenticeship, after finding out university wasn’t for him. He said: “Choosing to do an apprenticeship was the best decision I made. The style of study at university just didn’t work for me and an apprenticeship was the perfect alternative. I’m currently working for The National Trust, in my role I’m given a lot of flexibility and the chance to work with a lot of different people. It’s really hands-on and at the moment I’m working across two teams, in web and data. To anyone weighing up their options and thinking about either uni or an apprenticeship, I would say do your research, there are so many opportunities and alternatives out there!”