Skills for life: FDF celebrates National Apprenticeship Week 2024
Look back as we revisit some fabulous apprenticeship stories in honour of National Apprenticeship Week 2024!
Apprenticeships are a key part of the FDF’s skills work. The current focus of our work includes requests for short and long-term apprenticeship levy reform report, especially during the critical period of recovery from Covid-19.
- Extending or removing the 24-month expiry date to levy funds
- Fund 100% of SME training costs
- Allow employers to work flexibly with providers on the 20% off-the-job training requirement
- Commit to a comprehensive consultation on apprenticeships and the levy fund as a step towards creating a more flexible ‘skills levy’.
We aim to improve training provision for our sector through the creation of a national network of providers that works closely with industry that can deliver the diverse and specialist skills needed across all regions of the UK.
Updates & milestones
Apprenticeships in Manufacturing launch
The Food and Drink Federation is to join the Apprenticeships in Manufacturing (AiM) partnership as a founding member. AiM is a partnership between nine member organisations representing different parts of the manufacturing sector and the UK Government. The group aims to increase the number of high quality apprenticeships available across all part of the UK’s manufacturing sector.
The hiring and training of apprenticeships has been significantly impacted by COVID. The Department for Education has started to build new partnerships between industry and government with the aim of challenging and addressing these barriers. AiM will strengthen this partnership through committed, skills-focused organisations working collaboratively.
Read more about the launch of the Apprenticeships in Manufacturing group and FDF’s involvement.
National Apprenticeship Week 2022
The theme for National Apprenticeships Week 2022 has been announced. Continuing on from 2021, ‘Build the Future’ will be this year’s theme with a focus on the benefits apprenticeships can have on individuals, businesses and local communities.
National Apprenticeship Week (NAW) will take place between 7 and 13 February 2022, and a toolkit is available to support the apprenticeship community with planning their activity for the week.
2022 will be the 15th iteration of NAW, a week-long celebration taking place across England to encourage individuals of all ages reach their career goals by building skills and knowledge through an apprenticeship.
Individuals, employers, training providers and communities are being asked to support NAW 2022 by encouraging everyone to consider how apprenticeships can #BuildTheFuture.
FDF Apprentice of the Year Award – Entries are now open!
Do you employ a brilliant apprentice in your food and drink manufacturing company?
Nominate them for the FDF Apprentice of the Year award before 28 February 2022. It’s completely free to enter!
Extended Incentives for hiring new apprentices
UpdateThe £3,000 incentive payment for hiring a new apprentice has been extended until the end of January 2022.
If you have hired a new apprentice between 1 April 2021 and 30 September 2021, you can apply for the incentive payment until 30 November 2021.
If you have, or are planning to, hire a new apprentice between 1 October 2021 and 31 January 2022, applications for the incentive payment will open in January 2022. This means employers can recruit now and apply for the incentive payment retrospectively (before the 31 January 2022 deadline).
To receive the payment, employers must submit an application for each eligible apprentice using their apprenticeship service account. You can access a step-by-step guide to the process here. To find out more about the incentive payment please, guidance is available here.
National Apprenticeships Awards 2021
UpdateThe National Apprenticeship Awards 2021 will be open for entries from 5th July to 28th July 2021. These awards are a great opportunity for recognition of your apprentices and for your business. It’s also a great way to raise the profile of the industry.
There are nine categories to recognise exceptional employers, apprentices and apprenticeships champions.
Employer of the Year categories
• SME Employer of the Year (for organisations with 1 to 249 employees)
• Large Employer of the Year (for organisations with 250 to 4,999 employees)
• Macro Employer of the Year (for organisations with 5,000+ employees)
• Recruitment Excellence (Selected from Employer of the Year award entries, and awarded to an organisation that has recruited a diverse and high quality apprenticeship workforce).
Apprentice of the Year and Apprenticeship Champion categories
• Intermediate Apprentice of the Year (level 2)
• Advanced Apprentice of the Year (level 3)
• Higher or Degree Apprentice of the Year (level 4 or higher)
• Rising Star of the Year* (Apprentices that have made impressive progress in their career to date, and have the potential to go even further. Nominations are made by their employer).
• Apprenticeship Champion of the Year (Individuals who go ‘above and beyond’ to champion apprenticeships. Nominations are made by a colleague or contact who recognises an individual’s ‘champion’ credentials).
*The Rising Star category will not include a public vote this year due to the condensed format of the awards.
It is free to enter, entries must be made through the application website. Hints and tips for applications and information on the awards process will be available on the site late June 2021.
The Awards themselves will take place regionally in October 2021. The national ceremony will be on Wednesday 1st December.
If you are planning to enter the awards, please send a note to Tanya and let us know.
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