Apprentice of the Year goes to a SWAC Apprentice...

HUGE congratulations to Madeleine Sutton who won the Apprentice of the Year award at the North Devon Manufacturing Awards.  Maddy started at Actavis UK Ltd in August 2011 as a Product Development Apprentice which she successfully completed in March 2013. 

Since starting at Actavis Maddy has gone from strength to strength and was awarded the Apprentice of the Year award due to applying the knowledge she had developed to improve operational efficiency and providing technical support in all areas of product development in order to deliver on challenging timelines.

Well done Maddy everyone at SWAC are so proud of you!

NATIONAL APPRENTICESHIP WEEK 11TH - 15TH MARCH

Up Coming Apprenticeship Events

13th March - Chippenham Job Centre Drop In Session - 9am-3pm

13th March - Gloucester Careers Fair - The Guildhall, Eastgate, GL1 1NS - 10am-3pm

14th March - Chippenham Job Centre Drop In Session - 9am-3pm

14th March - Have a Go Bristol - Anchor Road, BS1 5BD - 4pm - 7pm

20th March - Skills South West - UWE Bristol 9.30am-1pm

26th April - Forest Career Fair - Lydney Town Hall 9am-5pm

Up Coming Employer Events

12th March - Engaging with Apprentices - City of Bristol, College Green Centre, Clifton - 7.30am-9am

19th March - Swindon Business Show - Firefly Ave, Swindon, SN2 2EY - 10am-12pm

Please call SWAC on 0800 3345767 if you would like any further information regarding these events.

Congratulations Lucy Riggs!

Congratulations to one of SWAC's completed apprentices Lucy Riggs for being nominated for the Faculty of Business, Creativity and Computing Level 2 Apprentice of the year award! The award ceremony will be taking place on Thursday 22nd November 2012 at the City of Bristol College. Good luck Lucy we are very proud of you.

Apprenticeship Age Grant

Did you know that SWAC can help you apply for an Apprenticeship Age Grant worth £1,500.00?

If you have less than 1000 employees and are recruiting your first apprentice (aged between 16 and 24 years old), or have not employed an apprentice within the last 12 month then you could be eligible for the £1,500 Apprenticeship Age grant.  All you need to do is commit to employing an apprentice for a minimum of 12 months or the time it takes to complete the Apprenticeship framework, whichever is the greater.

The National Apprenticeship Service are providing up to 40,000 Apprenticeship grants to employers to encourage them to take on new apprentices. The £1,500 is in addition to the training costs of the Apprenticeship framework which are met in full for young people ages 16-18 and 50% for those aged 19-24.

Do you want to work in the Hospitality industry?

The South West Apprenticeship Company has teamed up with People’s 1st to help promote Apprenticeships in the hospitality sector. SWAC have an increasing number of vacancies coming through for Apprenticeships in Professional Cookery, Front of House, Housekeeping and Multi-Skilled Hospitality.  If you would like to pursue a career in this sector apply today for one of our vacancies!

Do you work for a Hospitality company in Bath or North East Somerset?

SWAC are in partnership with the National Apprenticeship Services to promote Apprenticeships in the hospitality sector in BaNES. SWAC have dedicated Account Managers who are experienced in this sector and can advise you on how apprentices can really help move your company forward even in these tough times.  What’s more, SWAC advertise all hospitality vacancies on UKSP – the on-stop shop for careers, jobs, training, qualifications, employers and training providers in the hospitality, leisure, travel and tourism sector so you will be sure to get the very best apprentice out there! Contact us today for more information and to arrange an appointment with an Employer Account Manager.

SWAC are NAS Recognised

In September 2012 the South West Apprenticeship Company (SWAC) became the only Apprenticeship Training Agency (ATA) to become recognised by the National Apprenticeship Services (NAS) in the South West and only the 8^th in England. NAS, in association with the Confederation of Apprenticeship Agencies (COATA), introduced the new recognition process in April 2012 as there has been a significant growth in the number of ATA’s operating over the past two years.

By becoming a recognised ATA, SWAC are now working in accordance with the ATA Framework. Colleges and providers can only work with ATA’s that are NAS registered or in the ‘ATA Development’ stage.  NAS follow a stringent process before awarding recognition and ATA’s need to prove that they are delivering a quality service before they are approved.

ATA’s offer a unique approach to the recruitment of apprentices. For the apprentice the ATA gives another route into an Apprenticeship, which can offer them the opportunity to experience a range of employers and increased security around the continuation of their Apprenticeship.

The SWAC team are really happy and pleased that their service has been recognised by NAS. Clare Vertigen , Director of SWAC said “we are fully committed to helping young people who are struggling to find employment in the South West and consider Apprenticeships as a route into a long term career which allows them to earn while they learn”

CARE VACANCIES L2 & 3

Due to our success with Skills for Care we now have a number of care homes all over Gloucestershire, Wiltshire and Swindon looking for Care Worker apprentices. Why dont you check out the vacancies and apply today!!!

South West Apprenticeship Company apprentice in the running for award

The South West Apprenticeship Company (SWAC) is celebrating after learning that Liam Aherne has been shortlisted as a finalist in the Outstanding Apprentice – Manufacturing category in The Gloucestershire Apprenticeships Awards 2012

Liam, 19 from Brockworth, joined SWAC in September 2011 and is embarking on a 4 year Apprenticeship in Mechanical Engineering. He is 1 of 6 finalists in his category and together with SWAC will attend a gala awards event at The Centaur, Cheltenham Racecourse, on April 4. It will be attended by guest of honour the Princess Royal.

Liam is currently completing his first year of training at Gloucester Training Group; he will then be placed with his host employer, ABB Ltd in Stonehouse, an automation and technology specialistwhere he will gain on the job experience whilst continuing with his training.

Clare Vertigen SWAC Development Manager commented: “We are fully committed to helping young people who are struggling to find employment in the city to consider Apprenticeships as a route into a long term career which allows them to earn while they learn”

Open day helps young people into apprenticeships

UNEMPLOYED young people visited an open day to find out more about apprenticeships.

Gloucestershire County Council's Youth Support Service held an apprenticeship open day yesterday.

The exhibitors at the event included Gloucestershire College, the RAF, EDF Energy, Lifetime Training, Gloucester Training Group, Stroud College, JHP Training and the South West Apprenticeship Company.

Up to 15 young people from Gloucester attended the event.

Darius Patterson, 29, who gained employment through an apprenticeship, was there to offer advice.

"It is a lot easier than going to college and studying," he said.

"And you are gaining knowledge and on-the-job experience that you wouldn't otherwise get. I would urge young people to get involved and seek out apprenticeships."

Kirsty Underwood, a mentoring manager from South West Apprenticeships, said: "We help young people find apprenticeships and help them from being future prospects to having competencies and key skills."

Gloucestershire has been praised by the National Audit Office for its work with young people not in education, employment or training (NEET) and the county is one of the best performing services nationally.

Skills

At the end of last month, Gloucestershire's 16-to-18 NEET rate was 4.8%, against a national average of 5.8%.

The county council has recently announced an economic stimulus package to give young people the right skills and opportunities to get jobs.

This includes a £1 million investment in an opportunities fund, a Skills Summit to bring together business and education and 25 county council apprenticeships.

Councillor Paul McLain, cabinet member for the Youth Support Service, said: "Our Youth Support Service offers a great deal of targeted support to young people who are not working, or in any form of education or training, as well as to those at risk of ending up in that situation.

"We run a range of sessions and job clubs at our district hubs throughout the county, that have been very successful in helping young people to find work or training and give themselves the best possible chance of a brighter future."

Firms had plenty to gain at seminar

The South West Apprenticeship Company hosted a business seminar entitled "Apprenticeships-Pain or Gain" at the Hatton Court Hotel.

SWAC is an apprenticeship training agency which works with training providers to give a bespoke approach to apprenticeships.

Lee HIll. SWAC Employer Account Manager, said a good sepctrum of companies had attended the event and more seminars were planned in the county.

"I think the public attitute towards apprenticeships is changing, they are now seen as a very viable product for young people"

Five companies who had attended the seminar had expressed an interest in investigating apprenticeships further.

SOUTH WEST APPRENTICESHIP COMPANY APPRENTICE GAINS ROYAL APPROVAL

The South West Apprenticeship Company (SWAC) recently met His Royal Highness the Duke of York K.G. during the launch of the Confederation of Apprenticeship Training Agencies (COATA) in London.

During the event, His Royal Highness met apprentice Lucy Riggs, who is currently pursuing an Accounting Apprenticeship with City of Bristol College and is hosted by Refrigeration specialists A-Gas. Lucy commented: “It was great meeting the Duke of York and it was nice to hear that he supported Apprenticeships. He took the time to meet everyone and listen to what type of apprenticeship we did.

I chose to take on an Apprenticeship in Accounting as I had always enjoyed maths and wanted to do a more hands on approach to learning rather than just sitting in a classroom and not seeing where things are used in real life. I’ve loved my experience and attending this event was an unforgettable experience”

Clare Vertigen SWAC Development Manager commented: “We are delighted that our apprenticeship service is going from strength to strength. We recognise the importance of Apprenticeships to the economy of Bristol, and this is why we encourage our Apprentices to attend events to enable them to be recognised for their achievements and hard work.

“We are fully committed to helping young people who are struggling to find employment in the city to consider Apprenticeships as a route into a long term career which allows them to earn while they learn”

The South West Apprenticeship Company (SWAC) brings a fresh approach to Apprenticeships, SWAC removes the risk to businesses by directly employing the apprentice, the apprentice is then placed with a ‘Host’ organisation for the duration of the Apprenticeship. SWAC manages apprentice performance and provides mentoring and pastoral support to ensure the placement is successful, SWAC also work closely with the training provider to ensure the ‘Host’ and apprentice is receiving the best possible service, SWAC is currently supporting 100+ apprentices across a variety of sectors throughout the South West.

5 Oct 2010 Be part of your own success story!

“I would encourage anyone to use SWAC. In my case they have been very good in getting in contact with the company I was interested in and moving quickly in taking my application to the next level and arranging an interview.”

Adam Stuart Harley, one of SWAC’s first apprentices is already counting the success of his new placement. Read about his story in our first case study and keep an eye out for new case studies being added to the website to learn how you can be part of your very own success story.