BRITAIN: APPRENTICESHIPS
Interview: Euan Blair Apprenticeships have long been overdue a makeover. Ledetta Asfa-Wossen spoke to new kid on the block Euan Blair, founder of training company White Hat, on why he thinks the market needs an overhaul
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hat made you want to set up an apprenticeships business?
It was clear to me that the levy provided a unique opportunity to transform post-16 education in this country, but I was concerned that without a credible new entrant offering something radically different, the overall project would stall. The long-term aim is for WhiteHat to play a significant role in creating a system where 30% of 16-23 year olds pursue an apprenticeship; apprenticeships are seen as a truly viable alternative to university; and that every major employer is offering a wide-ranging, quality apprenticeship programme.
What does WhiteHat do exactly? WhiteHat is predominantly a tech start-up with a mission to accelerate careers and develop a diverse group of future leaders. We offer apprenticeship recruitment and training services via our tech platform and bring candidates and employers together to open access to careers which have traditionally been only open to graduates.
You worked at Sarina Russo for a few years, how did that influence you? At Sarina Russo, we were mainly focused on helping long-
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term unemployed people in the West Midlands, and later in London. We had started to explore apprenticeship provision and I realised there was a huge opportunity to develop an innovative approach that could significantly change the post16 education landscape, but that it would take a start-up to do this effectively.
What makes your apprenticeships business different exactly? We are about to launch our tech platform, which will enable young people to showcase their strengths to prospective employers through video and personality profiling and access opportunities directly through their smartphone. Tech has to be at the heart of any modern apprenticeship offering and will enable us to have the kind of social impact we want to have at scale. Our platform will allow us to reach hundreds of thousands of young people directly, excite them around the opportunities an apprenticeship offers, and equip us to deliver a better training and support service to our young people (users) and our employers (customers). The current architecture is clunky and difficult to access and we want to offer something that is intuitive and seamless. Additionally, we’re working with partners who can
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EducationInvestor Global • May 2017