Could you be a winner this year?
		The judges of the Apprenticeship Awards 2008 are looking for the year's most outstanding employers and apprentices.
		There's less than a month to go till entries close for the Apprenticeship Awards 2008 – so it's important to get your application in soon. The closing date is Friday 29th February and we are looking forward to receiving as many high-quality entries as possible. If you are an employer who is committed to training your workforce through Apprenticeships and can demonstrate the direct benefits to your business or you are an apprentice who is succeeding in your chosen career through your Apprenticeship, we'd like to hear from you. Now in their fifth year, the LSC's prestigious Apprenticeship Awards give us the chance to recognise and reward employers and apprentices for their hard work and commitment to raising skills levels all over the country. The four Employer Awards (Micro, Small, Medium and Large Employer of the Year) honour employers who show a dynamic approach to training their apprentices, evidence of commercial gain and positive plans for Apprenticeships in the future.		Past winners of the Large Employer Award include BAE Systems and British Gas while smaller firms like Beere Electrical Services Ltd and Farthings Veterinary Group have triumphed too. Dave Walsh, Head of Apprenticeships at BT, which won last year's Large Employer of the Year title, said their win "was a great triumph to BT's investment in our apprentices. Our Apprenticeship programme is crucial for future-proofing our business, delivering a clear return on investment. We will definitely be entering again this year." There are awards for the most outstanding apprentices too – Advanced Apprentice of the Year and Apprentice of the Year. Judges of these categories are looking for apprentices who have made exceptional contributions to their workplace, exceeded everyone's expectations and delivered measurable benefits. They may, for instance, have introduced a new idea or initiative that has had a positive impact on the business or helped to develop a product or special project. The Personal Achiever of the Year Award celebrates apprentices who have successfully overcome barriers or obstacles, either personally or in the workplace, to achieve their goals and exceed all expectations.		Meanwhile the Young Apprentice of the Year Award aims to acknowledge and pay tribute to individuals who have used the skills gained through their Young Apprenticeship to make a real difference, both to their own personal development and progression through learning and to their school, learning provider or company where they have been on placement. Young apprentices must be in Year 11 to enter. The finalists will all receive national and regional publicity for themselves, their business and their sector, as well as an invitation to the Oscars-style Awards ceremony at the Royal Horticultural Halls in London on the evening of Thursday 10th July 2008. The winning apprentices will also enjoy up to £1,000 worth of prizes, with £500 going to the two Highly Commended entrants. The winning young apprentice will win up to £500 worth of prizes while the two Highly Commended entrants will collect £250. The Awards ceremony is always a very special evening for the Apprenticeship programme. City & Guilds, the UK's leading vocational awarding body, will be the Premier Sponsor of the Awards for the fourth successive year. To find out more about the Apprenticeship Awards 2008 and how to enter, please visit apprenticeships.org.uk/awards or call 0800 954 88 96.

		"Apprenticeship Awards are a highlight of the education and skills calendar"
		LSC Chairman Chris Banks at the Awards launch.
		The countdown is on to find the most outstanding apprentices and employers of 2008.
		The Apprenticeship Awards 2008 were launched at a high-profile event attended by Skills Minister David Lammy MP, Learning and Skills Council (LSC) Chairman Chris Banks, key stakeholders, sponsors and past winners and finalists on the 3rd December 2007. Speaking at the launch of the LSC's fifth national Awards, held at The Imagination Gallery, London, just before Christmas, Mr Lammy told guests that Apprenticeships are "very high" on the list of Government priorities. "Let us be clear (that) the Government sees Apprenticeships as a key lynchpin to the success of its skills strategy for the 21st Century," he said. "There is a need to expand the Apprenticeships programme to meet the challenges of the future. If the demand is not met then the UK will lose out to international competition and our young people and adults will not be able to fulfil their potential." Mr Lammy praised the way in which key stakeholders like the Apprenticeship Ambassadors Network (AAN) are working to promote Apprenticeships and paid tribute to employers who already provide Apprenticeships. "It is employers who will provide the high quality places that are needed to deliver the Government's vision on skills and Apprenticeships," he said. "Without your support the Government's skills strategy will not succeed and you are therefore critical to that success, not only as providers of high quality places but as champions." Chris Banks expressed his delight that several 2007 winners and finalists were at the event. They included Advanced Apprentice of the Year Gareth Moor, Craig Lewis, who was Highly Commended in the Young Apprentice of the Year category, and some of the catering apprentices from Plymouth's Duke of Cornwall Hotel, which was Highly Commended in the Medium Employer of the Year category. The LSC Chairman said the Awards are "one of the highlights of the education and skills calendar" and "a real opportunity to raise the value of Apprenticeships and the positive impact they can have on young people, adults and employers."		He also called on everyone present to encourage more individuals and employers to get involved in Apprenticeships – "for their benefit and ultimately for the benefit of the country as a whole." Meanwhile former apprentice Hannah Worsley, who was Highly Commended in the Advanced Apprentice of the Year category in 2004, gave a presentation about the lifelong impact her Apprenticeship has had on her, both in terms of her career progression and her individual growth. Hannah is now the Learning and Development Manager for national childcare company Kidsunlimited. Determined to encourage and inspire today's apprentices to achieve their full potential, she manages the company's national contract with the LSC, driving the delivery of the Apprenticeship programme.

		Celebrating success
		Apprenticeship Week will pay tribute to the achievements of employers and apprentices and explain the key role Apprenticeships are playing in today's world.
		A week-long event to celebrate the success of Apprenticeships, raise the programme's profile and encourage more employers to take on apprentices takes place next month (February). Apprenticeship Week, which will become an annual event, will be held from 25th to 29th February. It will include debates, interviews and activities throughout the country – all designed to show the real-life benefits of Apprenticeships. The week's key event will be the Apprenticeships Summit, to be held at Congress Centre in London's West End, on Tuesday 26th February. A number of high-profile guests will be there to talk about the recently-published Apprenticeships Review and to outline the Government's aspirations for the Apprenticeship programme. If you would like to attend, please go to sheltonfleming.co.uk/ apprenticeshipsummit2008 for registration details or call 020 7407 6656. Later in the week, the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) will host an event to pay tribute to the success of the Advanced Apprenticeship in Sporting Excellence. More than 700 individuals have now completed this qualification - some of whom may well go on to represent the country at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.		Many of these talented sportsmen and women have been invited along to talk about the impact their Apprenticeship has had on them and to encourage and inspire others who are considering this route. Meanwhile a number of employers will be using Apprenticeship Week to explain why Apprenticeships have such a vital role to play in today's world. They include BT, the winner of last year's Large Employer of the Year award at the Apprenticeship Awards, who will be hosting a seminar to promote the benefits of Apprenticeships to their supplier companies. The LSC is encouraging everyone involved in the Apprenticeship programme to get involved so if you are planning an event to mark Apprenticeship Week, please email skillscampaign @lsc.gov.uk or phone 0207 413 3400 to let us know.

		Looking to the future
		Spring conference will outline the key changes to the Apprenticeship programme. A one-day conference to explore everything from the latest Apprenticeship policy developments to best practice in Apprenticeship delivery is being held later this year. The conference, which is sponsored by City & Guilds and supported by the Learning and Skills Council (LSC), is entitled Expanding and Delivering Apprenticeships and will take place in Central London on Thursday 3rd April.		The event will bring together leaders and senior managers from key stakeholders across Government, the learning and skills sector and business to discuss the recent Apprenticeships Review and the draft Apprenticeships Bill, as well as issues including the forthcoming vacancy matching scheme and how to effectively increase employer engagement. For further details, please visit www.neilstewartassociates.com /jd196

		A once in a lifetime opportunity
		Each year the Prime Minister's Global Fellowship will give 100 young people, including apprentices, the chance to live, study and work in one of the world's emerging economies.
		Thousands of young people set off on expeditions to the other side of the world every year – keen to learn about other cultures and experience life in the major new countries of the global economy. Now a new initiative, the Prime Minister's Global Fellowship, is helping young people to develop a greater understanding of what globalisation means for people in the 21st Century by offering 100 18 and 19-year-olds the chance to visit Brazil, China or India for six weeks. Their placements will take place in July or August this year (2008) and will include a cultural programme, time in a school or college and two weeks in a global company, where they will gain an understanding of how an international business works. The Prime Minister's Global Fellowship was launched earlier this month (January). Funded by the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) and managed by the British Council, it aims to nurture outstanding talent and enterprise in young people through international exposure to different countries and their way of life.		The scheme is an annual one and is open to anyone in England who has been engaged in full-time education, training or an Apprenticeship and will be 18 or 19 by 1st July 2008. Those who are selected to take part will be invited to Downing Street on their return to share what they have learned with the Prime Minister and with each other. The closing date for entries is 29th February 2008. Further details and an application form can be found at globalgateway.org/pmgf.