Apprenticeships – reasons to be cheerful

The 2019 National Apprenticeship Week (NAW) event is running from Monday 4-Friday 8 March. Normally it is an opportunity to promote the opportunities and present successful apprentices. Indeed, during NAW 2018 APM launched new guidance for parents and showcased success stories through the week, including Naomi’s.

Sadly, the first day of NAW 2019 coincides with the imposition of the reduced funding for the Level 4 Associate Project Manager standard, which had been one of the 15 most popular standards available. As a result, the fanfare will be muted slightly as employers and training providers get to grips with the new funding regime.

We would urge companies interested in the Level 4 standard to enrol staff/new entrants on the programme as soon as possible before the new funding level begins – do hurry, as the deadline is only a matter of weeks away.

If that isn’t feasible, rest assured that the standard will still be available for delivery from March.

However, there is certainly good news – the Level 6 Project Manager degree apprenticeship was formally launched at the end of 2018 and already companies such as Rolls-Royce and Sellafield are offering this standard. The degree apprenticeship model offers professional development, a professional qualification like PMQ and a degree, all at no cost to the learner.

And finally, we have been filming some of the success stories of current and former Associate Project Manager apprentices – expect to see the content from Lloyds Banking Group and WYG in the run-up to NAW 2019.

Discover more about apprenticeships here, or contact Service Delivery for more.