Apprenticeships help attract talent and drive growth in horticulture. The Horticultural Trades Association (HTA) urges more support to address low uptake and secure the sector’s future.

“My brother did one and I thought, ‘Yeah, I’d give it a go’,” I recounted.
“Yeah, I was the same, to be honest with you,” a young person from my Derby South constituency nodded back to me at an apprenticeship reception on the Terrace.

As the UK looks towards a future powered by renewable energies, apprenticeships have a vital role to play in shaping the workforce. Offering a practical and scalable solution, they address the growing demand for talent in industries critical to delivering a Net Zero economy. With so much to do to deliver a resilient transition, the demand for skilled professionals across key sectors is accelerating fast and this is particularly notable in sectors like energy, where skilled workers are in high demand, but short supply.

As I reflect on my time as skills minister, one truth becomes crystal clear: we stand at the precipice of the most transformative period in the history of work

Apprenticeships in highly skilled trades such as electrical engineering and plumbing are essential for home-building and the net-zero transition, investing in them now will help future-proof the workforce

This year's cohort of apprentices and graduates will help drive forward work at the UK's largest and most complex nuclear site.

Stobbarts Ltd is the latest local SME (small or medium-sized enterprise) to join Programme and Project Partners.

The British Retail Consortium, which represents major businesses across the UK, has criticised the government's latest plans for apprenticeships, which they say have failed to reform existing schemes in line with industry requests.

A strategy for reversing the decline in youth apprenticeships is one of the vital ingredients missing from UK skills policy

2024 marks a milestone year for Early Careers at Coca-Cola Europacific Partners as we celebrate a decade since the introduction of our company-wide apprenticeship programme. What started as a small cohort of five engineering apprentices has grown to a 177-strong group that spans multi sectors, including Supply Chain, Logistics, Field Sales, Business Administration and Legal. National Apprenticeship Week marks the perfect time to reflect on how far we’ve come, while looking at opportunities for this space to evolve further.

As we celebrate National Apprenticeship Week, Ee Jane Low, Human Factors Engineer at EDF, reflects on her own career path and what will be needed to attract more people into nuclear energy.

Sellafield Ltd’s Stephen Woodburn has proven that it’s never too late to take on a new challenge having completed his apprenticeship aged 48

Ahead of National Apprenticeship Week next week, Jasmine Hudson, Chief People Officer at Mitie, discusses how reforming the Apprenticeship Levy to allow for more flexible and shorter courses can help plug the UK’s green skills gap

Hailed as our first ‘tech bro’ prime minister, Rishi Sunak loves to talk about the UK’s potential as a world leader in digital technology. But with government departments and public services facing a huge digital skills gap, he has a challenge on his hands. Zoe Crowther reports

Gillian Keegan is not your typical Tory. A Liverpudlian who left school at 16, she has moved on from a successful career in business to become the Education Secretary. She talks to Tali Fraser about strikes, gender identity and how to disagree agreeably. Photography by Louise Haywood-Schiefer

Greater flexibility around apprenticeships can give employers the boost they need to fill vacancy rates and keep Britain on the move.

First year Sellafield mechanical design apprentice Saarah Hashmi has picked up a top award in parliament from Lord Kenneth Baker.

Ahead of the Spring budget next week, the Institution of Engineering and Technology has called for greater flexibility in the apprenticeship levy to allow employers to develop digital skills and unlock the UK's potential in new technology.

The UK's advertising and marketing industry is facing a significant talent shortage, particularly in data and digital skills. The Advertising Association's new report, Investing in Our Talent’s Future, recommends urgent action to address this skills shortage and protect the industry’s status as a global hub for advertising and marketing services.

Apprenticeships are riding a tide of positive public opinion as more people look for opportunities to gain work experience while they learn or reskill themselves to better meet the demands of today’s jobs market.

Governments around the world are grappling with some huge challenges, but this feels especially acute here in the UK.

The work of our members highlights what can be achieved with a commitment to apprenticeships and we intend to go even further with 5,000 new opportunities created over the next couple of years.

As we mark National Apprenticeships Week 2023, the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority group (NDA), including Sellafield Ltd, is proud to recognise the more than 1,000 people following early career programmes at its nuclear clean-up sites.

The start of February can only mean one thing: National Apprenticeship Week is upon us again. Each year, I like to reflect on how much progress we’ve made over the past twelve months, not just at Coca-Cola Europacific Partners (CCEP), but also as an industry.