From the 14th to the 18th of March, National Apprenticeship Week took place across the country. During this week, many schools and apprenticeship providers held open evenings and events, some of which I had the pleasure of attending with Georgina Cooke from 3aaa Worcester.
On the 15th of March, I attended the Apprenticeship Fair, held at the Job Centre in Worcester. 3aaa Worcester had a stand booked at this event. This was the first event I had attended as a 3aaa Apprentice Ambassador , I was determined to make a good impression to those who stopped by our stand. We spoke to several young people about the benefits of apprenticeships, the courses that 3aaa have to offer and I also told them a bit about my experience as an apprentice so far. We also invited several of those young people to attend the open evening that 3aaa Worcester were holding the following evening.
Following the Apprenticeship Fair, we visited Worcester Sixth Form College to deliver a presentation on interview techniques and advice. Whilst presenting at the College, we discussed the benefits of apprenticeships and what 3aaa are and do.
On the 16th of March Worcester Royal Grammar School had a Higher Education and Careers Fair where 3aaa Worcester were exhibiting. We spoke to a number of students about the options they can aim towards and how an apprenticeship can be equally, if not more, valuable than university. We discussed how apprenticeships provide you with the work experience that many university courses do not and how this experience can help put you ahead of others when applying for a job later in life. We also discussed how you can still gain the equivalent qualification through studying Level 4 with 3aaa as you would in the first year of university and after having these discussions, we had managed to change several students’ perceptions of apprenticeships.
On the fourth day of National Apprenticeship Week we visited The River School, Worcester, where we ran a ‘Hot Desk’ with Year 10 and 11 students. During the ‘Hot Desk’, we informed the students of what apprenticeships are and what 3aaa could offer them and I discussed my journey and experiences. We answered a number of questions and several of the students provided us with their details, so that 3aaa Worcester could send them further information.
My last port of call during National Apprenticeship Week was the Heart of Worcestershire College where I spoke about expectations of employees and we tested the students’ knowledge on the do’s and don’ts in the workplace. This presentation will have proved valuable to the students, as they now have a better idea of how to behave in the workplace when they get a job in the future.
I feel that the events I attended during the National Apprenticeship Week have helped me to build my confidence when talking to others about apprenticeships. I am grateful to have been provided with the opportunity to help get the idea of apprenticeships out there with 3aaa Worcester. After all, that is what National Apprenticeship Week is all about; it’s about raising awareness around apprenticeships and highlighting the benefits they have for not only young people, but also businesses and the wider economy.