In Basildon, Prospects College of Advanced Technology (Procat) provides a unique partnership with the engineering and construction industries to train the next generation of skilled technicians.

During National Apprenticeship Week it is holding an open evening which will include employers such as Thales, Selex ES, Olympus Keymed and many more.

There will be the opportunity to meet and talk to some of the college’s employer partners and course leaders and to explore the new £2million Centre for Advanced Engineering.

There will also be the chance to meet apprentices who can give an insight in to what life is really like at Procat, which is expecting to fill hundreds of apprentice vacancies. Demand is high so put your name down for the 2016 intake.

Tours on the night will run every half an hour from 4.30pm and 6.30pm. A tour is not compulsory and visitors can explore the college at their own pace.  Register for the free event by visiting procat.ac.uk/events

The open evening is on March 17, from 4pm until 8pm at Procat Basildon Campus, Luckyn Lane entrance, SS14 3AY. 

 

 

National Apprenticeship Week takes place next week and will celebrate how apprenticeships can help individuals and businesses plan and achieve their ambitions of “rising to the top”.

Now in its ninth year,  this year the campaign’s emphasis is about how “an apprenticeship can take you anywhere”, with a particular focus on higher skills to show how young people, entrepreneurs and businesses can “rise to the top” through traineeships and apprenticeships.

Apprenticeships are growing in Essex year-on-year. In the last academic year there were 11,560 apprenticeship starts in Essex.

There are more than 250 different types which sit across many different job roles and sectors.  

This year’s Pledge-o-meter is now live. This is an online tool designed for businesses to record the commitment they will make to take on apprentices and trainees.  Hosted by the National Apprenticeship Service, the Pledge-o-meter has been developed by a team which includes two apprentices and encourages employers to publicly share their new commitments to taking on more apprentices and trainees.

Last year businesses pledged 23,000 apprenticeships during National Apprenticeship Week, an increase from 20,000 the previous year. It is hoped that more will be pledged this year.

Pledges can be made from now until the end of National Apprenticeship Week by  visiting naw.pledgeometer.net.

National Apprenticeship Week runs from March 14 to 18. Visit apprenticeships.gov.uk/