The recently introduced Higher Apprenticeship in Project Management provides the focus for a new Sector in the Spotlight film launched by the National Apprenticeship Service.
The film features Neopost – a company that produces mailroom equipment, solutions and services – which has joined British Airways, Rolls Royce, Transport for London and others to become one of the first employers in the country to take on project management higher apprentices.
Told through the eyes of Neopost higher apprentice Georgia Cosma, along with the company’s HR Director Chris Burns and Marketing Project and Process Manager Carrie Ball, the film explores the numerous benefits that Apprenticeships are providing for individual apprentices and for the company as a whole.
The film, available at apprentice.tv and on the Apprenticeships YouTube channel, reveals how apprentices are playing an active role in key project management duties including planning, allocating resources and tasks and completing documentation.
Due to the essential role project management plays in businesses large and small, the Project Management Higher Apprenticeship is suitable for employers in a wide range of industries, such as consultancy, logistics and manufacturing.
Karen Woodward, Deputy Director for Apprenticeships and Employer Policy Implementation at the Skills Funding Agency, said: “The Higher Apprenticeship in Project Management was introduced to give employers the opportunity to grow their own future project managers with the exact skills that their businesses need. Apprenticeships are delivering for businesses of all sizes and we hope this latest Sector in the Spotlight film will help convince even more employers to consider Apprenticeships, and also Traineeships which help unlock the great potential of young people.”
The Higher Apprenticeship in Project Management was developed by Skills CFA and the Association for Project Management (APM) to create new pathways into the profession. It incorporates a Level 4 qualification, which is the equivalent to the first year of university. It covers many topics including managing risk, project communications, stakeholder management and dealing with contracts.
Liz Wilson, Head of Professional Standards and Knowledge, at APM said, “By opening up the Project Management sector to apprentices, we can access a large pool of young talent and ensure that the project managers of the future are developing excellent skills from the start. Apprentices offer great benefits to businesses and we are proud to support them by creating a framework for the Project Management sector.”
In the film, Neopost HR Director, Chris Burns, explains, “The benefits of taking on our first three apprentices four years ago became apparent very quickly. They were outstanding and as a result we now take on about 12 apprentices every year. Our apprentices have become one of the richest sources of talent to our business and we would recommend taking on apprentices to any business.”
Apprenticeships now cover more than 170 skills and industries across 1,500 job roles, over an extensive range of skill levels. The new film is part of the Sector in the Spotlight film series by the National Apprenticeship Service, created toshowcase how Apprenticeships work in practice and to promote the benefits of Apprenticeships in key industry sectors.
To support smaller businesses the Apprenticeship Grant for Employers (AGE) grant has been extended until December 2014 in its current form. The grant will continue to support businesses with up to 1000 employees taking on a new Apprentice aged 16 to 24. To be eligible, the employer must not have taken on an Apprentice in the previous 12 months and employers can claim support for up to 10 Apprentices. Full details are available at http://www.Apprenticeships.org.uk/employers/steps-to-make-it-happen/incentive.aspx
