National Apprenticeship week provides a fantastic platform from which to share the success stories of some of our apprentices, both past and present. It’s also been a chance to shine a spotlight on the importance of the employers that we work in partnership and to reflect on the importance of apprentices to our business.
Janet Curtis-Broni, Group Chief People Officer, said:
“The Apprenticeship Levy serves as a key tool in our talent management strategy. Across London & South East Education Group, we use the Apprenticeship Levy to develop our workforce, as well as to recruit and train apprentices. We use the levy in two ways. Firstly, to recruit apprentices to specific roles and support them to gain a qualification whilst also learning on the job, alongside colleagues. On completion of their qualification, we then look to appoint them to a permanent career role, where appropriate.”
We also use the Apprenticeship Levy to support existing staff in their professional development; enabling them to study programmes to enhance their knowledge and skills in their current role and step into more senior or different roles in the future. This aids with growing our own talent whilst at the same time allowing us to spend a Levy pot we would otherwise have to repay.
Of the 43 staff currently on Apprenticeship programmes, 19 have been employed as apprentices, and 24 members of staff are undertaking programme and utilising the levy for professional upskilling and other technical continuous professional development. Looking ahead, as an organisation we’ll be exploring how apprenticeships could be used to tackle the teacher recruitment crisis. We will continue to use our levy to develop staff who want to build a career in teaching, enabling us to grow our own nurture and grow our own enabling us to grow our own teaching workforce pipeline.
Alex Walker, a Digital Marketing Apprentice at London South East Colleges, said,
“I originally went to sixth form in September 2019, but I found the subjects boring and quicky realised I didn’t want to go to university. I wanted more practical experience. By January 2020, I started looking for an apprenticeship. I came to London South East Colleges and they offered me a place on the Level 3 digital marketing apprenticeship, which gave me the opportunity to work between three organisations, including Visit Greenwich and The London Chamber of Commerce.
"The past two years has truly encouraged me to push myself further within the industry, without a doubt. Now I know how great my apprenticeship has been, I would strongly recommend it to anyone searching for their next step. Starting an apprenticeship is one of the best choices I’ve ever made.”
London South East Colleges trains over 1000 apprentices a year in a wide range of sectors. Visit LSEC.ac.uk/apprenticeships to find out more about the opportunities available.
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