Apprenticeships and Skills Regeneration

Some say that we are fortunate

in Hertfordshire. We have a Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) that aligns with our county boundaries. We have a highly visible and proactive Chamber movement. We have educational providers that strive to equip students with careerenhancing skills, and in Hertfordshire Opportunities Portal (HOP) we have a leading edge website enabling our residents to explore career opportunities within the employers on their doorstep.

Few, if any, counties have comparable infrastructure; foundations for delivering the valued goal of a high skills, high technology, high wage society. However this is not good fortune; those competitive advantages are the consequence of strategic foresight and collaboration among our civic, business and educational leaders; not all counties have been so fortunate.

By almost any measure Hertfordshire has an enviable education system, however, it would be naive to think that our education and skills providers can equip their students with “oven baked” skills, tailored to each and every employer. The acceleration of business change determines that skill development is a lifelong journey in which both employees and employers share responsibility; neither can neglect it and thrive.

By Professor Sir Tim Wilson DL, Emeritus Professor and Deputy Lieutenant of Hertfordshire.

No one doubts that there is a growing skills shortage within our county. The accelerating growth of key sectors is highlighting the skills needs of our economy. Wherever I go in the county, whatever sector I visit, there is a transparent need for skills enhancement to feed business success and hence the appetite of our growing economy.

Within this landscape of skills development, there is a specific role for Apprenticeships. Of course the concept of Apprenticeships – learning whilst working – has been around for decades. However, the breadth of Apprenticeships in the context of both discipline and skills level is hugely different from 20th century models. From manual skills, to specialist scientific or technological skills, to business leadership, Apprenticeship routes traverse a wide and diverse landscape of opportunities.

One of the roles of Lieutenancy is to help celebrate and promote success within our business community. Hertfordshire is renowned for its enterprise and entrepreneurship - it is the county for opportunity - but that does not diminish the imperative of a constant drive for skills enhancement. Business panel members of the Lieutenancy, working with the LEP, have been visiting leading edge SMEs to celebrate the success of their Apprentices. The sectors represented are varied - building maintenance, construction, horticulture, digital marketing, pharmaceutical regulation, sports education - but there are two factors in common; enthusiasm within the company for upskilling their employees, and determination amongst apprentices to succeed. An Apprenticeship is a demanding way of learning, success requires personal commitment, stamina and resilience. There is no single common pathway shared by successful apprentices, they each have their own story and often have unique barriers and challenges to overcome. Their commitment to succeed and the resulting benefits are hugely impressive.

On May 18th there will be a Celebration of Hertfordshire Apprenticeships. Led by the LEP, Herts Chamber, and the Apprenticeship Ambassador network, I look forward to that event immensely.

Business panel members of the Lieutenancy, working with the LEP, have been visiting leading edge SMEs to celebrate the success of their Apprentices.