APPRENTICE APPRECIATION

As part of National Apprenticeship Week (6–12 February), unLTD headed down to Sheffield Springs Academy to find out how they are joining forces with local businesses and Sheffield City Council initiatives like See it Be It to remove the stigma surrounding apprenticeships and give kids from their community improved careers education through employer encounters, career insights and experiences of the workplace…

As we arrive at Sheffield Springs Academy, the school day is well underway, with students already in their classrooms or making their way to activities, taking in National Apprenticeship Week’s The Big Assembly: a 30-minute, interactive live digital broadcast that enables students and teachers to engage in conversation about exciting career opportunities and national events.

The assembly is a small part of a wider programme of events being held at the school throughout the week, including talks, workshops and drop-in sessions encouraging students to chat openly with young people who are either currently on or have just completed their apprenticeship journey.

Alongside apprentices from the likes of the NHS and construction company Henry Boot, the school has been supported by the attendance of representatives from the See it Be it campaign, a Sheffield City Council initiative that brings to life the world of work by linking up local businesses and employers with schools and colleges.

In a short break between sessions, we caught up with two of the apprentices who work alongside the See it Be it campaign: Eva Cadet, a Level 3 professional marketing apprentice at Sheffield City Council and Tariq Ali, a Level 3 business admin at Sheffield City Council, to find out more.

Tariq Ali told unLTD: “See it Be it is a campaign that gets role models to showcase their career path to students and young people. That’s how we got involved. Me and Eva are both in the apprenticeship team and we both had a similar journey.

“We thought that it would be useful to have a conversation with the students so they can see someone who is like them making those decisions and going into an apprenticeship.”

Eva added: “We’re here to champion apprenticeships. Having recently come out of one myself, I know how important and invaluable they are, and I want to showcase the resource to these young people.

“Having recently been their age, I know what it’s like trying to make big life decisions about the future and I want to make apprenticeships far more accessible for them, by helping them understand how they can get involved.

“The best way of doing that is by listening to them, by seeing what it is they want to do in life, where they want to get to, and trying to find them a clear route to get to that place. We want them to understand the benefits, because there is still quite a lot of common misconceptions; that they’re typically for people that want to go down a more practical route, that might not be as academic, but there’s so many different routes you can take. I want to make that more widely known.

“I think the kids have gradually opened up. Quite a few already know what apprenticeships are but might not understand why they should look into it or what kind of opportunities are available. The more we describe it and talk about the benefits, the more they’re starting to come around to the idea and thinking that they could actually see themselves in that situation, which is really promising.”

After attending one of the drop-in sessions where she spoke with Eva, a Year 9 student at Springs Academy, told us: “I found it useful. It was really interesting that, even though we are students, we have the opportunity to prove ourselves to employers and the opportunity to learn more. I think that I might do an apprenticeship in the future.”

Research shows that a young person who has four or more meaningful encounters with an employer is 86% less likely to be out of education, employment or training when they leave school. For somewhere like Springs Academy, which serves a community with higher than average levels of unemployment, this sort of interaction from businesses with their students can be vital to providing them with a positive view of the workplace.

Sheffield Spring Academy principal Ms Claire Cartledge said: “Offering children an apprenticeship gives them a path into employment, so for us, it’s really important as an alternative that’s still giving them fantastic training and qualifications but is still very engaging.

“This week is all about giving the kids a wider understanding of apprenticeships. It’s also about busting myths because there’s a lot of stigma around traditional apprenticeships. Occasionally, the older generation see apprentices as someone who makes the teas and coffees, so it’s about showing the value, because for some of our children, an apprenticeship is absolutely the best thing for them.

“One of the best things about this week is that we have ex-students, who are now apprentices, coming into the school, which means our children are more likely to listen to them, because it’s not just a teacher telling them something. I think it’s brilliant, and I am delighted our pupils are getting this opportunity,”.

Edward Cramphorn, Sheffield Springs Academy Careers Advisor, added: “This week gives employers the chance to prepare the workforce. By engaging with the students, they effectively get to start cherry picking and training possible new school leavers.

“Employers are always saying, ‘we want this skill, we want that skill’ or ‘we don’t have enough people with this kind of knowledge’, so these sessions mean they can come in and tell kids to their face what they need from them. That then reinforces our message, but with the real-world context.

“Employers in Sheffield have to be the voice to encourage our kids. Sometimes they don’t get that message at home, so hearing it from the city itself can actually make these kids feel more self-worth. It’s about unlocking that skill potential.

“I think it’s also important having a magazine like yourselves come in and talk about what is happening in schools locally. Hopefully, businesses will read this and want to get involved, whether it be letting us know about apprenticeships within their organisations, trips, visits or whatever.”