Oaklands College join Hertfordshire Opportunity Portal (HOP), informing Hertfordshire about career path options, apprenticeships and work experience, skills development and professional qualification programmes

Oaklands College join Hertfordshire Opportunity Portal (HOP)

Hertfordshire Opportunities Portal, HOP, has launched to market enabling students, employers and residents to HOP into all the resources they need to make informed career decisions and build a future talent pipeline.

Funded by Hertfordshire Local Enterprise Partnership, HOP will be the premier gateway in Hertfordshire to find out about career path options, apprenticeships and work experience, skills development and professional qualification programmes.

The portal was launched at the Building Your Future Talent event, hosted by Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council and the Hertfordshire Apprenticeship Ambassador Network at Brocket Hall, Welwyn, on 28th November.

More than 100 employers and training providers attended the event which was aimed at informing employers about apprenticeships, work experience and T Levels.

Hertfordshire LEP used this opportunity to showcase the new portal.

HOP will enable:

• Residents to access the information they need to make informed decisions on career path options including Further Education, Higher Education, professional qualifications, work experience and job opportunities;
• Employers to reach and recruit their future talent and upskill and provide progression opportunities for existing staff;
• Training providers to tailor the local offer in order to meet current and future business needs.

Adrian Hawkins, Deputy Chair of Hertfordshire LEP and Chair of Hertfordshire LEP’s Skills and Employment Board, said: 

“This is a proud moment for the LEP, Hertfordshire and me, personally. I have long advocated for a skills and training portal that acts as a one-stop shop for employers, training providers, students and residents wishing to re-train or upskill. The launch is just the start of what will be a very exciting journey in the months and years to come and will help to ensure that Hertfordshire’s workforce is fit for the future.”

Caroline Cartwright, Skills Employment and Apprenticeships Lead at Hertfordshire LEP, said:

“I am absolutely delighted we have launched  HOP. This has been the result of months of hard work, determination and passion to help us deliver our vision for HOP to become the go-to portal for skills training and apprenticeships information and for it to become a beacon of excellence across the country.

“HOP has arrived and will, I am sure, have a very positive impact on the skills and development landscape for years to come. I urge everyone interested in education, training and apprenticeships to HOP in and start exploring!”

HOP was very positively received by those at the launch. Here is just some of the feedback received on the day:  

June Cory, Managing Director at My Mustard, said: “As an SME, we always wonder how to get our vacancies seen. That question has now been answered. That there is one place to drive our traffic to from now on makes perfect sense, I’m excited to see how HOP develops.”

Hugh Pettit, Key Accounts Associate at My Mustard, said: “HOP is going to be a key digital resource for young people to visit and discover a broad range of opportunities, making this experience easier than ever.”

Cheryl Luzet, Managing Director at Wagada, said: “HOP’s functionalities are fantastic; they allow us to demonstrate our employer brand with our own Employer Spotlight page and reach a wider audience when advertising our apprenticeship opportunities.”

Josephine Ready, Business Degree Apprentice at MBDA, said: “I am fangirling HOP! It’s a great way to access important information and resources that I would have used a year ago. HOP also allows you to shortlist businesses you might be interested in. It’s the portal to visit to get you thinking about your future career.”

HOP in!  and