Class of 2018 celebrated across the country

As the 11th National Apprenticeship Week draws to a close, over 250 apprentices have today celebrated completing their apprenticeship in the ‘class of 2018’ graduation ceremonies.

At events held in London, Brighton, Weston-Super-Mare, Leeds and Cambridge apprentices from across a number of sectors and job roles were recognised for successfully completing their apprenticeship in the last 12 months.

The ‘class of 2018’ graduation ceremonies were held as part of the ‘Apprenticeships Work’ themed week bringing employers and apprentices from across England together to celebrate the success of apprenticeships, whilst encouraging even more people to choose apprenticeships as a pathway to a great career.

Sue Husband, director, National Apprenticeship Service added:

Apprenticeships hold the same prestige as university and events like these graduation ceremonies taking place across England today have given apprentice graduates the recognition they deserve for completing their apprenticeship.

Whether apprentices are moving onto the next level of their apprenticeship or if they are now in full time positions with their employer, they have shown that apprenticeships truly do work to get individuals onto their chosen career path and on the road to success.

As an apprentice myself I know the hard work that goes in to completing an apprenticeship. I take my hat off to the class of 2018 and thank them and their employers for supporting apprenticeships and the benefits they bring to individuals, employers, local communities and the wider economy.

Apprentices at today’s graduation ceremonies come from wide ranging sectors, representing dedicated apprentice employers, including BT, Lloyds Bank, Troup, Bywaters + Anders, HMRC, the Royal Navy, Channel 4, the NHS, MOD and Halifax – amongst others.

Graduating Charlotte Brandom, IT Support Engineer and former BT Higher Apprentice said:

“I am so pleased that I did my apprenticeship. I had started off on the university route, studying Psychology, but I realised it wasn’t working for me and switched paths to do an IT and Networks apprenticeship with BT. I have been able to rotate roles, so have experience from several parts of the business. I now work in a job I really enjoy – technical support for cloud services – and it’s all thanks to the skills my apprenticeship gave me.”

Young Apprenticeship Ambassador Networks from across England supported the National Apprenticeship Service in encouraging apprentices to attend a ceremony today.

Charlotte Hughes, Chair of the Young Apprenticeships Ambassador Network in the East of England added:

The apprentice graduation ceremonies have created quite a buzz amongst the apprentice community and it’s great that they are happening during National Apprenticeship Week.

Graduation ceremonies are an amazing opportunity to celebrate all the apprentices and their achievements. It’s also a great time to talk to those graduating to build a greater network of apprentice ambassadors in England. I hope that everyone attending the events enjoys their moment in the limelight – it’s well deserved.