Last week the South West Apprenticeship Ambassador Network and Exeter College hosted the Apprenticeship Expo 2017 for a successful third year. The Apprenticeship Expo is the largest event of its kind in the South West during National Apprenticeship Week. The college’s Sports Hall was transformed into a 1,000 square metre exhibition space resulting in a record number of attendees.

National Apprenticeship Week, which is co-ordinated by the National Apprenticeship Service, is designed to celebrate Apprenticeships and the positive impact they have on individuals, businesses and the economy.

The Apprenticeship Expo is the only event of its kind in the South West, run by an Apprentice, dedicated to showcasing businesses to the future workforce. Companies who employ Apprentices were invited to be part of the biggest and the best Apprenticeship event in the South West. The Expo enabled them access to nearly 2,000 of the next generation of Apprentices from across Devon and show them why their business is the one to work for.

Sixty businesses exhibited at the event including Exeter University, South West Water, South West Ambulance Service, Midas, Gregory Distribution Ltd, Redrow Homes and representatives from the Armed Forces. These and many others were on hand to offer face to face guidance on the employment opportunities within their companies. Some employers took the opportunity to launch new Apprenticeship Programmes at the event. These included a new Aeronautical Engineering Apprenticeship Programme at Flybe as well as multiple new and exciting roles at Arconic Power and Propulsion.

From the exhibiting companies an outstanding 1,736 new Apprenticeship opportunities were pledged for the next year, proving the importance of events such as these. Not only for the businesses recruiting but also the young people in attendance and in the South West. This figure, from a small percentage of the businesses in Devon portrays the volume of potential opportunities to earn and learn locally within the next year.

The event is supported annually by the South West Apprenticeship Ambassador Network and Health Education England. Richard Daulton of the National Apprenticeship Service, said,

“We are delighted to be supporting this event after the huge success of last year’s Expo. The Apprenticeship Expo is a fantastic opportunity for young people and parents to engage with some of our most successful and supportive employers from the region. As more and more businesses identify the unique benefits that Apprenticeships bring to their organisation it’s essential they recruit the right candidate to fill these roles.”

Mike Blakeley, Director of Apprenticeships and Employer Engagement said

“The ongoing support and commitment of Apprenticeship awareness by the businesses in Devon and Cornwall is at an all-time high. Without doubt the awareness of the reforms of Apprenticeships has created a mind set for companies to look into the value and benefits that Apprenticeships will bring. Having nearly 2,000 young people attend an event such as this really shows the growing interest of young people and parents alike in employment with high quality training. It’s really becoming a golden era for Apprenticeships.”

The Apprenticeship Expo is open to anyone interested in finding out more about Apprenticeships. For more information please visit us here or call 01392 400800.