Employers are being urged to sign up to a new ‘big apprenticeship pledge’ being spearheaded by The Sheffield College, promoting the opportunity to mould new talent to their skills needs to support business growth.
Employers can pledge to either recruit and train one or more new apprentices or upskill existing staff via an apprenticeship during the next year.
Some employers have already backed the newly launched scheme with 44 apprentice pledges received so far.
Daniele Palacios, Vice Principal, Apprenticeships and Work Based Learning at the College, said: “We have launched the ‘big apprenticeship pledge’ to encourage more employers to invest in their business success. Apprenticeships bring new lifeblood and ideas to an organisation, help to fill skills gaps and pave the way for training the skilled professionals of tomorrow.
“It is exciting to see employers recognising the benefits and committing to training the next generation of talent and upskilling existing staff by signing the pledge.”
One of the employers supporting the initiative is Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.
Andrew Jones, its Director of Facilities, said: “Sheffield Teaching Hospitals is one of the biggest employers in the city, and we’re really proud to show our commitment to supporting local people and their careers through apprenticeship training.
“Our facilities department is very hands-on and covers a lot of important behind-the-scenes functions at the hospitals – from security, car parking and portering to laundry, catering and cleaning.
“Apprenticeships really suit the practical nature of many of our staff and are a great way for them to develop and grow their skills and confidence, earn while they learn, and train on the job.
“Within the department we’ve seen many staff progress in their NHS careers through qualifications like Level 2 Functional Skills, Level 3 Team Leader and Supervisors, Chartered Manager degree apprenticeships and even masters degrees.”
