The success of apprentices is being celebrated across West Yorkshire at a graduation ceremony on Monday 10th November 2014 at Leeds Town Hall.
Hundreds of young people from across the region will come together at this prestigious event along with proud parents, employers and other organisations involved in Apprenticeships. Speakers at this high profile event will include Jamie Peacock, Leeds Rhinos star player.
Apprenticeship graduation ceremonies like this one are taking place across England to celebrate the achievement of Higher and Advanced apprentices to raise the profile of Apprenticeships to put them on an equal footing with a university route to success.
The West Yorkshire event is being delivered by a consortium after government funding was recently awarded to West Yorkshire Learning Providers, one of 19 successful Apprenticeship organisations in the country to successfully bid for a grant to plan and host a ceremony in their region. And plans are well underway to make this a night to remember!
Don Brearley, chief executive of West Yorkshire Learning Providers, said “We are delighted to be hosting this event, which will celebrate the enormous success and achievement of all our Higher and Advanced apprentices in West Yorkshire. Every single person who has completed an Apprenticeship can be very proud of what they have achieved. It is important that their success is rewarded in this way to encourage others to aspire to greater things, and that is what this ceremony will do. This event will also help to raise the profile of Apprenticeships and how undertaking an Apprenticeship can lead to a successful future.”
Nick Wilson, Skills Funding Agency’s, Deputy Director of Employer and Delivery Services in the North East and Yorkshire and the Humber said “Apprenticeships are thriving in the region and it’s easy to see why. Nearly every employer that takes on an apprentice reports benefits to their business and this is testimony to the important role they have to play in the country’s economic recovery. And after finishing, most apprentices will stay in employment with two thirds staying with the same employer.
These ceremonies highlight the quality and range of Advanced and Higher Apprenticeships available and I would like to congratulate all of the apprentice graduates who will be attending.
Higher Apprenticeships are available at a range of levels, from the equivalent of a foundation degree to a bachelor’s degree and even master’s degree level in some sectors. More of these specialised and highly-skilled Apprenticeships are being offered each year, giving individuals the chance to continue their professional development and fully realise their potential.”
The graduation ceremonies project is being rolled out nationally following two pilot ceremonies and four trailblazers over the last two years. Some £400,000 of funding has been awarded to the project in total.
The graduation ceremony grants have been managed by the Association of Colleges and Association of Employment and Learning Providers, through the Skills Funding Agency. Grant money accounts for around 60% of the total event costs with the remainder made up of sponsorship from Leeds City Region Enterprise Partnership, The employment and skills group, YH Training Services, City Training Services, Learning Innovations Training Team and The Skills Consortium.
