By Duncan Newman, Economic Development Officer
Last week, we held the latest in our series of Apprenticeship Levy events. Supported by Dorset LEP and Dorset Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the event was held at Cobham PLC and attended by over 80 people.
This is our eighth event and the first to be held in the evening so we were delighted to see so many people there.
Our sincere thanks to all guest speakers. Ian Girling, Chief Executive of the Dorset Chamber of Commerce and Industry, opened the event by emphasising the importance of businesses understanding the levy.
Gerry Bishop, Emerging Talent Manger, Cobham PLC welcomed everyone to the venue and gave an overview of Cobham PLC. Gerry also reminded everyone that when considering Apprentices and graduates, one is not better that the other, they are simply different routes into a career.
Bruce Hollobone, National Account Manager South and South West, National Apprenticeship Scheme gave some valuable advice on how employers can successfully support their Apprentices with the 20% off the job training element of the Apprenticeship programme, one of the most important pillars of the scheme.
The final speaker, Matthew Butcher, Head of BASE at Bournemouth and Poole College, provided employers with an overview of Apprenticeships. Matthew also gave some helpful advice on how they can make the most of the Apprenticeship Levy.
Employers also shared some of their queries, concerns and success stories during a Q and A session, and there was the opportunity for everyone to network at the end of the event.
Offering Apprenticeship opportunities can help employers to attract new talent, target skills shortage areas and potentially retail staff for years to come. We are planning more Apprenticeship Levy events in the near future. To keep up to date on all our news and events you can sign up to our newsletter and follow us on social media via our webpage.
