‘Look Beyond’ announced as the theme for National Apprenticeship Week 2020 #NAW2020

‘Look Beyond’ has been announced as the theme for the 13th annual National Apprenticeship Week 2020 (the Week, NAW2020), taking place from 3 to 7 February 2020.

Co-ordinated by the National Apprenticeship Service, the ‘Look Beyond’ themed week will celebrate the diversity and value that apprenticeships bring to employers, apprentices and communities across England today. From highlighting the breadth of industries and roles available to the talent and energy apprentices bring into the workplace.

National Apprenticeship Week is a flagship moment in the calendar year for supporters and ambassadors of apprenticeships, uniting them and delivering consistent messages with strong collective impact. ‘Look Beyond’ will serve as a rallying cry for the apprenticeship community to showcase the true meaning of diversity within apprenticeships, including:

• calling on young people to look beyond traditional routes into employment and explore the diversity of career options and industries now available to them through apprenticeships;

• calling on employers to look beyond traditional hiring routes and shout about the value they already see from diversifying their workforce by employing apprentices

• calling on parents and teachers to look beyond old preconceptions around apprenticeships, building understanding of the true value they bring, and sharing this with young people.

National Apprenticeship Week is a time to recognise and applaud apprenticeship success stories across the country, extending the message to communities and audiences that are less familiar with the value and return on investment they bring. Apprentice employers will use the opportunity to promote their successful apprenticeship programmes to potential apprentices, parents and other employers. Whilst many current and former apprentices will go back to school to tell their progression stories, attracting the next generation of apprentices, so they too can fire up their future career.

Keith Smith, Director, Apprenticeships Group, ESFA added:

With National Apprenticeship Week now going into its thirteenth year, everyone behind and involved in it must also ‘Look Beyond’ and consider how and where we talk about apprenticeships, to ensure that we reach all corners and communities of the country with this important message.

Our ‘asks’ for the apprenticeship community this year will all reflect that ambition and we will share these ‘asks’ in due course. For now, I would like the many, many apprenticeship supporters – from ambassadors and apprentices to training providers and top employers – to get involved and start planning how they can help celebrate apprenticeships, during National Apprenticeship Week 2020.