At Swish Building Products, we’re taking an active role in engaging with this year’s National Apprenticeship Week – an annual celebration created to bring the apprenticeship community together and promote the impact apprenticeships have on individuals, employers and the economy.

The seven-day event began on Monday the 3rd of February - and until Sunday the 9th, we’ll be getting involved in positive discussions and posting thoughts through social media regarding the benefits of apprenticeship training. We’re building on the conversation and sharing the experiences of our own Swish apprentices to help encourage other young people, parents, employers and teachers to consider the diversity and value that apprenticeships can bring to all involved, in both professional and personal capacities.

We currently have three ‘traditional route’ apprentices working as part of our team; Toolmaker - Amy Mann, Toolmaker - Jack Wilkes, and Maintenance Apprentice - Aiman Bactol. They’re taking a hands-on approach to learning the ropes within our Engineering division; developing skills already learnt in college including clamp making and polishing as they use their own initiatives within specific roles.

“I’m really enjoying my apprenticeship,” says Amy, “I’ve found that I actually prefer learning in the working environment and earning a salary at the same time. I feel more engaged than I would if I was further developing my skillset in school, or through a fulltime college programme.

“I’m in a position now where I can actually save money, which helps me have a great outlook on life. I’ll get further quicker and won’t complete the training in debt.

“It’s a great position to be in. It gives me more freedom, future career opportunities and the chance to be treated like an adult.”

It isn’t just school leavers we offer our unique development programmes to. At Swish, we also nurture a learning culture to help existing employees develop abilities and progress their professional advancement.

Supporting our values, we offer in-house, developmental apprenticeships – in addition to traditional routes - to help upskill current staff too.

Encouraging and enabling skill development can help cultivate capabilities for life. Whilst age and experience can provide essential knowledge and confidence, there are always new approaches, methods and technologies that once learnt and understood, can really add value to the way we do our jobs.

The apprentices’ Line Manager, Rob Kelly says: “Apprentices have had a positive effect on the culture of the team. Seeing young people coming through the company has given everyone a boost and uplifted morale. Apprenticeships are a fantastic way of ensuring continuity of skills throughout our workforce and I would highly recommend other businesses adopting this learning programme.”

Swish’s Managing Director Shaun Hanrahan furthers comment by adding: “We’re true advocates of apprenticeships. In our experience, these individual learning routes have made positive impacts on our business and have succeeded in opening paths full of potential for both the young people we’ve employed and the established professionals we’ve enabled to progress.

“We’re proud to support National Apprenticeship Week 2020 and believe that by helping to share positive messages about the many advantages embarking on an apprenticeship can afford, more learners, parents, teachers and businesses will work together to grow talents, celebrate diversity in learning and bridge skills gaps.”

More information is available to employers on how to open their doors to apprenticeships and get involved in the conversation through the Government’s National Apprenticeship Week webpage at https://www.gov.uk/government/news/get-fired-up-for-national-apprenticeship-week-2020. The site also helps guide learners, parents and teachers and gives pointers on how others can use social media to further raise awareness.

#AskAnEmployer
#NAW2020
#LookBeyond email: the.week@education.gov.uk.
Follow @Apprenticeships on Twitter and National Apprenticeship Service on LinkedIn.