PICTURED at the door of 10 Downing Street are Ian Pryce, chief executive of The Bedford College Group including Tresham College in Northamptonshire, and executive director of apprenticeships Debbie Houghton ahead of joining delegates at a national conference on apprenticeships at the Houses of Parliament in London.
The conference, which took place as part of National Apprenticeship Week this week (February 6-12), focused on discussing the way forward in skills training and role apprenticeships can play within the strategy.
Tresham College is part of the Bedford College Group and hosted some of the county’s largest employers at a special event to highlight the benefits of apprenticeships. Among those taking part were Ball Corporation, the NHS, steel manufacturer Tata and Weetabix.
Among the speakers was 22-year-old Katie Lines from Corby, who completed an apprenticeship at Weetabix after A levels. She studied Level 3 team leading and Level 5 operation management at Tresham College during lockdowns and is now a project manager with Weetabix.
“Apprenticeships offers fantastic routes into employment for people from as young as 16 to a mature entry level,” said Gina Bubbins, The Bedford College Group’s business development director. “We want parents to understand that this is a quality alternative to university for the bright and able who want to start a career path.”
