National Apprenticeship Week 2022– what to look forward to!

The fifteenth annual National Apprenticeship Week will take place from 7th to 13th February 2022. It’s a week to celebrate apprentices and apprenticeships, and to shine a light on the positive differences they can make for individuals, for employers and for our economy. We look ahead to what we can expect to see taking place.

National Apprenticeship Week (NAW) has always set out to generate more interest in apprenticeships, involving current apprentices, employers and parents as well as the widest possible range of interested groups, from schools to MPs. In the fifteen years that it’s been running, it seems to have gone from strength to strength, gaining more TV and press coverage each year. NAW 2021 was very successful with a lot of activities online if they couldn’t be held in person. There were over 1,200 virtual events held during the week, #NAW2021 trended top on Twitter on launch day and got over 500 million impressions during the week, and the various guides and toolkits available were downloaded over 17,000 times. It’s likely that 2022 will see a return to some in person events, albeit carefully planned ones. This should mean more opportunities for young people, parents, teachers and potential employers to find out more about what apprenticeships can offer and how they work. You will be able to meet current apprentices and employers to find out what the reality is. No doubt there will also be many online events too: webinars to join and videos to watch.

The aims of all these activities will be to demonstrate how apprenticeships have helped employers of all sizes and in every employment sector, as well as people of all ages and backgrounds. I think we can expect to see in #NAW2022 something around celebrating how apprentices have kept things going through difficult times, and how, for many businesses, apprenticeships will be the key to rebuilding. Keep an eye out for events you can take part in if you want to find out more. We would recommend both the Government Apprenticeship website, www.apprenticeships.gov.uk and the Amazing Apprenticeships website, www. amazingapprenticeships.com as great places to find updates as well as some brilliant resources at any time of the year.