"Creating a skilled Britain, fit for the 21st Century"
		The Apprenticeship Summit
		Stakeholders, employers and training providers have their say about the Government's Apprenticeships Review.
		More than 300 stakeholders, employers and training providers attended the Apprenticeship Summit, welcoming the opportunity to discuss the contents of the Government's recent Apprenticeships Review and look ahead to the programme's expansion. The event, held at Congress Centre in London's West End on 26 February and hosted by BBC newsreader George Alagiah, also marked the official start of the first-ever Apprenticeship Week. The Apprenticeships Review - entitled World-class Apprenticeships: Unlocking Talent, Building Skills for All - was launched by the Prime Minister in January this year (2008) and set out the Government's plans to expand and further improve Apprenticeships. The review recognises the economic and social benefits that the Apprenticeship programme provides to apprentices, employers and the country as a whole and seeks to significantly expand the number of apprentices. The Government has committed funding for Apprenticeships of £1 billion every year until 2010 and wants the Apprenticeship programme to be a mainstream option for young people, with up to one in five of all 16 to 18 year olds undertaking an Apprenticeship over the next decade. Speaking on behalf of Learning and Skills Council (LSC) Chairman Chris Banks, Stephen Gardner, the LSC's Director of Apprenticeships, opened the summit by telling guests about "the massive expansion of Apprenticeships and the contribution they will make to creating a skilled Britain, fit for the 21st Century." He paid tribute to the achievements of apprentices like Gareth Moor, Jonathan Pearson, Zenel Lika and Abbigail Kewin, all of whom won awards at the Apprenticeship Awards 2007, and said he would like Apprenticeships to be seen as "a popular, highly respected choice for all young people." Outlining the ways in which the delivery of the Apprenticeship programme will be simplified in the future, Stephen said the new National Apprenticeship Service within the LSC will have "end-to-end responsibility" for Apprenticeships and will be "crucial to raising both the quantity and quality of Apprenticeships." He added that employers want three things from Apprenticeships - quality training that makes their investment in time and money worthwhile, simplicity, so the minimum of time is wasted on bureaucratic processes and relevance, so training meets the specific needs of their sector.		"Our central aim is to boost the numbers of apprentices to 400,000 in the next 12 years - a massive increase in numbers - and at the same time, not only maintain but improve the quality of Apprenticeships," he said. "We intend to make the entire process led by what employers actually want, so that more and more of them see Apprenticeships as something they want to invest in to meet their skills needs. We want to work with providers to make this a reality. And we want to make Apprenticeships a really desirable option for all young people." He also focused on the growth of Apprenticeships for individuals aged 25 and over and on the need to create more opportunities for ethnic minorities and encourage more women into sectors traditionally dominated by men. This equality and diversity theme was taken up later on by Liz Smith, Director of Unionlearn. Meanwhile David Way, who has been charged with establishing the National Apprenticeship Service, integrated with the LSC, said: "The number one priority in everything we do is to secure more high-quality Apprenticeship opportunities from employers. The best ones create a queue of keen, potential apprentices who are desperate to seize the opportunity." David then went on to describe some of the strategies that will be used to boost Apprenticeship numbers. These include the development of new frameworks, the focus on establishing more Apprenticeships in the public sector, the expansion of Group Training Associations to help small businesses train collaboratively and a National Apprenticeship Service field force to explain the benefits of Apprenticeships to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and help them through the Apprenticeship process. He also said that there would be new approaches. These range from the introduction of a a new internet-based vacancy matching service to encouraging some larger employers to "over-train" so they recruit more apprentices than they need and train them for their sector as a whole. The Apprenticeship programme will also aim to capitalise on major infrastructure projects like the Olympic and Paralympic Games, building relationships with contractors and promoting the benefits of Apprenticeships. "This is a very exciting time for all of us," he said. "There is no doubt about the strong backing within Government at the highest level for Apprenticeships, from other parties and from business leaders and unions. I'm therefore very excited		at the great opportunities we have to make a lasting difference to the future of Apprenticeships and skills development in this country." In a recorded interview, Skills Minister David Lammy spoke of the Government's commitment to Apprenticeships and said that they are "absolutely essential to this country going forward." He called on more employers to come forward and offer Apprenticeships to the "droves" of young people who want to become apprentices. Other keynote speakers at the summit included Sir Roy Gardner, Chairman of both the Compass Group Plc and of the Apprenticeship Ambassadors Network (AAN), Simon Bartley, Chief Executive of UK Skills, and Graham Hoyle, Chief Executive of the Association of Learning Providers. Sir Roy Gardner told the audience that Apprenticeships are "one of the most practical and cost-effective ways to build a skilled workforce and address skills shortages." He welcomed the Government's Apprenticeships Review but reminded guests that there are "real and stretching challenges" ahead. "They will only be achieved if there is co-operation and collaboration in the system - between employers, training providers, colleges and the National Apprenticeship Service," he said. Detailing some of the many benefits to employers, Sir Roy said that Apprenticeships lead to increased competitiveness, higher staff retention, higher productivity, improved quality and stronger career progression. Speaking from an employer's perspective, he also outlined a "recipe for successful Apprenticeships." The recipe includes providing a supportive working environment with good peer support, Apprenticeships being valued at senior management level and throughout the business, high-quality induction programmes and training, keeping pay under review and, ideally, giving apprentices the opportunity for permanent positions on completion. Along with Professor Lorna Unwin, Professor of Vocational Education at London University's Institute of Education, Adrian Holmes, Chief Executive of the Employability and Skills Group (ESG), and Rod Kenyon, Director of the British Gas Engineering Academy, several of the speakers also took part in two lively Q & A sessions. Questions ranged from how to encourage more employers to offer Apprenticeship places to the role of employers in helping to build new Apprenticeship frameworks.

		Looking ahead to 2012
		Steve Cram and apprentices at Twickenham
		Skills Minister pays tribute to the success of the Advanced Apprenticeship in Sporting Excellence.
		With the 2012 London Olympics just four years away, the Advanced Apprenticeship in Sporting Excellence (AASE) is helping a growing number of talented young sportspeople to achieve their potential. The AASE was launched two years ago (2006) to promote sporting excellence among elite young sportsmen and women as well as providing the broader education to ensure that they are equipped should a career in competition prove achievable. It is now available across ten sports disciplines and has 2,000 apprentices enrolled on the programme. The Learning and Skills Council (LSC) and SkillsActive, the Sector Skills Council for Active Leisure and Learning, celebrated the programme's success in helping to train the very best sportsmen and women by hosting a special day-long event during Apprenticeship Week. Held at Twickenham Stadium, the home of rugby union, on 27 February, the event also marked the launch of the AASE in athletics. A global first, this will equip athletes with the skills they need to compete at an international level and recognise the talent, ability and endeavour sportsmen and women need to reach the top. Olympic medallist Steve Cram, who was there to help launch the new AASE in athletics, welcomed the support it would give young athletes. "The Advanced Apprenticeship in Sporting Excellence, in particular for athletics, will help young elite athletes realise their dream of competing at the Olympics and ensure that they have all the support they need, as well as making sure they fulfil their potential after their sporting career is over," he said. The event was also attended by Skills Minister David Lammy, Stephen Gardner, the LSC's Director of Apprenticeships, Stephen Studd, Chief Executive of SkillsActive, and representatives from the Rugby Football Union, League Football, Lawn Tennis Association, English Cricket Board and Amateur Swimming Association. Around 100 current AASE apprentices were there too - all aged 16 to 18 and representing a number of different sports, including golf, rugby, hockey, tennis and swimming. A number of them hope to go on to represent the country at the 2012 Olympics. The morning session featured a series of expert workshops by well-known names from the world of sport. Rower Guin Batten, who won a silver medal at the 2000 Olympics, spoke about psychology and the desire to succeed, former professional footballer Don Goodman talked about nutrition and Faye Downey spoke about her work as a strength and conditioning coach.They were joined by TV sports journalist Graham Little, who gave a presentation about media training. Meanwhile Mr Lammy paid tribute to the motivation, hard work and discipline shown by young sportspeople on the AASE programme.		"It's great to see Apprenticeships which are helping our young people in realising their dreams in the field of sport," he said. "Our ability to compete globally both on and off the sports ground will be determined by the opportunities afforded to our young people through training. Apprenticeships have a real role to play in ensuring our nation's competitiveness, which is why the Government is committing more than £1 billion to increase the number of apprentice places by 2011." Stephen Studd said that the AASE in athletics would help young people aiming to represent the country at future Olympic Games. "Vocational training is integral to creating a skills legacy in the light of, and beyond, the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games," he said. "The new AASE in athletics will equip our young Olympic hopefuls with the necessary skills to compete at the top of their game. We hope to continue rolling out AASE across the country in more sports given the success of the programme so far." Much to their delight, two young rugby players who have recently completed their AASE frameworks were presented with their completion certificates by Mr Lammy and Steve Cram. Josh Brown, 19, has signed a professional contract with Bristol Rugby Club while Danny Williams, 20, is now working as a rugby and gym coach at Filton College in Bristol.

		Vic Reeves' Big Day Out
		Vic Reeves at the Travelling Man pub
		Across the regions, stakeholders, employers and training providers promote the benefits of Apprenticeships.
		The first-ever Apprenticeship Week proved to be a huge success, with a series of debates, interviews, webchats, press articles and activities taking place up and down the country - all aimed at showing the real-life benefits of Apprenticeships. TV comedian Vic Reeves, star of Vic Reeves' Big Night Out and a former engineering apprentice himself, marked Apprenticeship Week by visiting employers in the North East who are benefiting from the Apprenticeship programme. During his Big Day Out he went to several businesses in the region, including Middlesbrough hair salon Rude Grooming, the Travelling Man pub at West Boldon, Tyne and Wear, and the Aston Workshop in Beamish, Co. Durham, which restores Aston Martin cars to the highest specifications. While he was at the Aston Workshop, Vic helped 19-year-old apprentice Nic Clark file down the wing of a car and said: "Aston Workshop and Nic are great ambassadors for Apprenticeships and show they can be a stepping stone to a fulfilling and specialist career. It doesn't matter what line of work you decide to go into - skills development should be a key component of any job." Meanwhile Michael Gibbon, Assistant Manager at Aston Workshop's paint and body centre shop, said: "Our business is so specialised that we need to train young new recruits in our ways and the Apprenticeship programme is the best way of doing that." Some of the many other Apprenticeship Week events included: Training provider Employer Training Solutions hosted a breakfast event at London's Westminster Kingsway College where Tim Campbell, the first winner of BBC TV's The Apprentice, talked to employers about the benefits of getting involved in Apprenticeships.		Creative & Cultural Skills, the Sector Skills Council for advertising, crafts, cultural heritage, design, music, performing, literary and visual arts, held a lunch meeting at London's National Theatre to inform employers about Creative Apprenticeships. LANTRA, the Sector Skills Council for the environmental and land-based sector, invited Blue Peter gardener and former horticulture apprentice Chris Collins to the 2012 Olympic site to highlight the Apprenticeship programme. MetSkill, the strategic skills body for the metals industry, organised a programme of school visits where MetSkill staff delivered presentations, gave Apprenticeship Q & A sessions and distributed leaflets.