Passionate about apprenticeships

It’s National Apprenticeship Week this week, and we are joining in to share success stories from some of the many apprentices we have throughout the Lifeways Group.

Apprentices are everywhere. You can find them in almost every industry, from hotels to manufacturing, engineering to healthcare. The benefits of apprenticeships are obvious, both for the apprentices and the companies who employ them. The apprentices get to earn while they learn, getting a wage while working towards a recognised qualification in their chosen field. They can also be confident that they are learning the skills they, and their employers, really need.

Don’t forget that apprenticeships aren’t just for school leavers. Almost anyone over the age of 16 can benefit from an apprenticeship, and many older workers are realising that apprenticeships are a great way to improve your skills and gain a qualification wherever you are in your career.

We have developed a bespoke apprenticeship training programme with Lifetime Training, an award-winning training organisation. By partnering with Lifetime, we can ensure our apprenticeship strategy is fully supported and delivering the maximum benefits to both our business and our employees.

Since we started partnering with Lifetime in 2015, over 350 of our employees have achieved a qualification. We currently have more than 450 staff members who are earning and learning on an apprenticeship programme. 168 are undertaking a Level 2 qualification, 237 are working towards a Level 3 and we have 54 that are on their way to a Level 5.

It really is win-win; our employees get a nationally recognised qualification, real-world experience and a wage. In return, we get a skilled work force that feels engaged and valued.

Jane Manton, our Group Head of Workforce Development, says: 

“Lifeways is committed to investing in apprenticeships across the business, and we would encourage employers to recruit and support apprentices across all industries. We feel that by investing in our staff’s learning and development then it can only support the retention and engagement of our workforce.

A recent review of how we manage vocational learning at Lifeways led us to becoming highly commended at the regional event for the National Apprenticeship Awards. We were also included in the Top 100 Apprenticeship Employers list 2017, something we are really proud of.”