Form the Future will be working with Cambridge Regional College to manage a new apprenticeship service on behalf of the Greater Cambridge Partnership, who want to increase the number of apprenticeships to help businesses attract and develop highly skilled staff and create career opportunities for residents.
The new service will act as a bridge between prospective apprentices and businesses to increase the number of apprenticeships across Greater Cambridge. Many schools and parents find it difficult to help young people move onto apprenticeships, so the service will offer a combination of interventions that will enable students to find, apply and secure a position.
Rachel Stopard, Chief Executive at the Greater Cambridge Partnership, said:
“Boosting the number of apprenticeships is a key commitment of the Greater Cambridge Partnership’s vision for making the most of this area’s growth and job opportunities. This new service will help to deliver that vision.
I’m looking forward to seeing how Form the Future and Cambridge Regional College can work together to help transform how students can find out about and secure apprenticeships that get them into a rewarding and fulfilling career.”
While Form the Future will highlight the opportunities that apprenticeships can provide, it will remain an impartial provider of Careers Education Information Advice and Guidance (CEIAG) to ensure that young people understand the full range of pathways available to them.
Cambridge Regional College will support businesses to consider how their skills gaps could be filled with apprentices, find the right training provider and navigate the complexities of charges, grants and other considerations.
Mark Robertson, Principal and Chief Executive at Cambridge Regional College, said:
“Cambridge Regional College are delighted to be working with Form the Future to develop an apprenticeship hub for the Greater Cambridge Partnership, and for the people and businesses of the area.
This joint initiative brings together two highly performing organisations. Cambridge Regional College are one of the largest and most successful colleges in the country and Form the Future have established themselves as the leading regional organisation in developing schools and community engagement.
Apprenticeships are good for employers; enabling organisations to develop and to benefit from emerging talent. They are good for apprentices – providing training opportunities to develop a career whilst being paid. We are excited about what the hub will bring; a much better source of information and connection to enable schools, businesses and prospective apprentices to be brought together to enable greater opportunities.”
Anne Bailey, Co-founder and Director at Form the Future, said:
“Form the Future has worked closely with the GCP since we started to strengthen the careers education that local schools can provide. Apprenticeships have always been an important part of our work with students and this new contract gives us an excellent opportunity to build on the work we’ve started and see how many more young people we can help to choose an apprenticeship as their next step.”
We will shortly launch a web portal that will allow students to register their interest in receiving further information, taking part in workshops or attending careers advice sessions. It will also be a useful source of information for parents, schools and businesses and will enable the latter to find out more about the potential benefits that apprentices can bring to their organisation.
In the meantime, whether you are a young person wondering if apprenticeships are right for you, a school interested in our careers awareness events or a business considering hiring apprentices to enhance their talent pipeline, we would love to hear from you! Email apprenticeships@formthefuture.org.uk or call us on 01223 781296.
