BCS Announce New Head of Apprenticeships

BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT has appointed John Pritchard as Head of Apprenticeships.

This brand new role will see John working to raise awareness of the importance of digital apprenticeships, as well as working with BCS partners to provide excellence for the digital IT apprenticeship standards.

John Pritchard says: “As national-apprenticeship-week-2017 highlights – apprenticeships are a great way to start a career. As was identified in the Government’s Digital Strategy there’s a skills gap in this area and digital apprenticeships enable young people to build the academic, practical and behavioural skills they require for success in digital professions. They also help create the talent that is vital in boosting the UK’s diverse digital economy. Apprenticeships benefit organisations by allowing them to recruit, and grow their own IT teams and develop the talent they need for the future. This will become even more important as we edge ever-closer to Brexit.

BCS aims to facilitate the apprenticeship community – training providers, employers, schools and universities – to ensure that we are all working towards giving young people the right opportunities and skills that employers want. This is vital if we are going to avoid the potential massive skills gap which is forecast in technology.”

Commenting on the appointment, Jon Buttriss, CEO, BCS Learning and Development said: “John joins us at a crucial time for apprenticeships with the arrival of the Apprenticeship Levy next month. He brings a wealth of expertise which will help us to continue to drive forward the Apprenticeships programme forward and make it a success.”

BCS supports providers in meeting the employers’ requirements set in the new Apprenticeship Standards and align the End Point Assessments to meet all sectors engaging in Digital and IT apprenticeships.

John Pritchard – Bio

John spent 23 years in the military and then established Smart Computing – a training provider working with Cambridge Regional College to deliver the IT Professional qualifications and apprenticeships. During that time, he ran national pilots for the introduction of the new User and Technical apprenticeship and was involved in designing new qualifications for the sector.

John has been awarded the City and Guilds gold medal of excellence for apprenticeship delivery and is a life member of City and Guilds for contributions to Education. John worked actively with employers to design the new trailblazer apprenticeship standards for the Tech Partnership ensuring employers, providers and awarding organisations requirements are aligned to government requirements and regulations to enhance the learners experience, qualifications and competencies when beginning their IT careers.