John and the Henley College joined forces to host an evening to take forward The Henley College's Apprenticeship Programme.
Apprenticeships give young people a great way to learn while they are working and earning. For employers, apprentices bring passion and energy into the business. The Henley College already provides Apprenticeships in Childcare, Business Administration and Supporting Teaching and Learning. The aim of the evening was to discuss with companies how other apprenticeships could be developed by the college and taken forward with the help of those companies.The idea was initiated by Jme and I spoke of the richness of the apprenticeship scene in the Constituency. I pointed to the almost 120,000 apprenticeships which existed in the South-East especially in engineering and manufacturing and in the health and public services sectors. The event also heard from Nick Sadler of Goldfinch Studios whose background included the music business as well as films. In addition, Jo Bright of Volvo
gave a talk about how she had originally been part of the Volvo Apprenticeship Programme and is now the Customer Relations Head for the UK and Ireland. Finally, Dr Julian Brinsford, who is the Head of Faculty at the college, talked about the development of T levels and industry placements.
The event was compered by Shirley Woodcock who is the college's Head of Apprenticeships and Training. Shirley said: "This successful event gave The Henley College the opportunity to showcase its current offer and also to discuss its three-year development plan for the future of apprenticeships. We are working with Goldfinch Studios on the development of a new apprentice programme and to further strengthen our relationship with Volvo, Invesco and other local businesses. ."
John said: "I was very pleased to be part of this event. The Henley College can offer a fantastic array of apprenticeships which provide a real opportunity to school leavers. I would like to see apprenticeships and going to University viewed in equal terms and I am pleased that the Government has introduced the Apprenticeships Levy to help pay for apprenticeships and also the Institute of Apprenticeships and Technical Education so that we can ensure that all apprentices follow high quality and assessed programmes."
