This year National Apprenticeship Week is 14 – 18th March and will consist of 100s of events and activities across the UK - will you get involved?What is National Apprenticeship Week?National Apprenticeship Week is a celebration of the positive impact that apprentices and apprenticeship providers have on skills development and the UK economy. NAW is coordinated by the National Apprenticeship ServiceLast year the theme of NAW was to encourage small and medium sized businesses to offer apprenticeships. National Apprenticeship Week 2016 is all about rising to the top. The aim of NAW is to increase awareness and take-up of apprenticeships and also of traineeships but also to Celebrate how apprenticeships can have you rising to the top - especially higher and degree apprenticeships, by and showing how apprenticeships offer a route into highly skilled professions that have traditionally been the preserve of graduates.Is NAW only about Apprenticeships?National Apprenticeship Week is not just about apprenticeships, regardless of the name - NAW is also about raising awareness of Traineeships and how they can help you to develop essential work skills and confidence and about celebrating those trainees and traineeship providers that do a great job of supporting young people, aged 16 – 24 in developing their employability skills and in progression to an apprenticeship.Last year apprenticeships really powered ahead. 200 employers joined the Trailblazer Programme and will lead the way in developing the apprenticeship standards through their trailblazer groups.Trailblazer GroupsTrailblazer groups are employer-led. They bring together people and organisations of all sizes from within a sector who work together to write the standards.Apprenticeship StandardsEmployers can create Apprenticeships standards that are job specific but they can’t deviate from the minimum requirements for an Apprenticeship, which are that:
the apprenticeship must last for at least one year
Off-the-job training must represent a minimum of 20%
The apprenticeship training must include transferable skills, i.e. not skills specific to one business.
The Not Going to Uni Apprenticeship Guide, which includes information on loads of apprenticeships as well as traineeships will be live in March.
