The Sheffield College spearheads new ‘big apprenticeship pledge’

Employers are being urged to sign up to a new ‘big apprenticeship pledge’ being spearheaded by The Sheffield College.

The college is encouraging employers to benefit from moulding 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, The Sheffield 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, Director of Facilities, Sheffield Teaching Hospitals, 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.”

The Sheffield College is one of largest apprenticeships providers in the region and its provision is Ofsted graded ‘good’.

Its Apprenticeships+  service supports employers to get the skills they need and enables students to become highly employable. The service provides a range of information and advice on apprenticeship programmes and funding.

In a college survey, 94.6% of employers agreed their apprentice has had a positive impact on their business. Meanwhile, 87% of employers said they were likely to recommend the college's apprenticeship service.

During the last academic year 2022/23, around 1,890 number of apprentices were training with the college involving more than 890 employers.

Visit Apprenticeships+ to find out more. Follow @SheffCol @ShefcolAppsPlus.

Pictured: Employers across a wide range of sectors, including dental technology and healthcare, are being urged to sign up to the ‘big apprenticeship’ pledge.