LUCY FERNANDES’ Post

When you think of an apprenticeship, what's the first thing that springs to mind? When I was the Apprenticeships and Skills Minister, I always asked people this question, and almost unanimously, their response was a trade or role in the manufacturing or construction sector. As vital as these sectors are, I want to make sure that whatever you want to do, there is an apprenticeship for you. That is why we’ve created apprenticeships for most occupations in the country including, for example, lawyers, accountants and doctors so the traditional university route is not the only way you can achieve your goals. And it's why I'm really proud of the progress we have made since 2010 👇 📈 Delivering nearly 5.6 million apprenticeship starts ✅ Creating 680 apprenticeship standards, with 170 at degree level 🇬🇧 Ensuring nearly 70% of occupations are available via an apprenticeship (for context, in Germany, that number is only 33%) As a former apprentice who is now privileged enough to be the Education Secretary, I am determined to go further. That's why just last year, we put apprenticeships on the university applications website UCAS to make it easier for young people to see what’s available and apply for apprenticeships in the same way they apply for universities. And we are expanding the number of apprenticeships available across even more occupations. It was fantastic to speak at a Bright Blue event on the future of post-16 education at Multiverse yesterday. Bit by bit, we are creating a society where when we think of apprenticeships, the first thing that pops into our minds is broadening opportunities and routes for everyone. #Apprenticeships #Education #Business #Industry #DegreeApprenticeships #FurtherEducation #HigherEducation #University

Great Insights shared in this interview. Take a look and you will see just why #apprenticeships are so critical to the #futureofworkforces

More exciting apprenticeship news to follow over the next few months....

I speak to many organisations who are paying into their apprenticeship levy, but don't fully understand how to properly invest this fund... 🤨 Coventry University Apprenticeships - Better Futures are on hand to help you to understand the apprenticeship levy and how you can use it to invest in your existing staff as well as new starters. Get in touch today to find a way to get the most out of your levy! 👩🎓

Mark your calendars for the First Nationwide Youth Apprenticeship Week!

Has your organization considered apprenticeships as a talent pipeline solution? Learn more at the Chicago Apprenticeship Network’s event on February 12th at Northwestern Medicine.

Do you know any year 12 state school students who might have missed out on applying for one of The Sutton Trust's Pathways, Apprenticeships or Summer Schools programmes, but still need support in exploring and applying for university or an apprenticeships? Get them to apply to Sutton Trust Online! Here is more about what is on offer - https://lnkd.in/dEEnRwyq

IN FOCUS: Greater Flexibility in the Apprenticeship Levy In our Retail Manifesto 📜 we asked for greater flexibility in the Apprenticeship Levy. 📑 Below we look in depth at where we are now, where we need to get to and how we can get there. 👇

Three very interesting proposals here from David Hughes for changes to the apprenticeships levy. If combined with a fourth change - the idea of broadening from apprenticeships to other high quality quals at L4/5 - then it could really channel public funding towards where it can make the most impact.