Skills Minister sees Bradford College apprentices at work

Bradford College showcased its apprenticeship provision to the Skills Minister during a visit to mark National Apprenticeship Week.

Rt Hon Anne Milton MP, Minister of State for Apprenticeships and Skills, and Judith Cummins, MP for Bradford South, visited two local businesses who employ apprentices before touring the college’s Northern Dental Education Centre and dining in the college’s student-run restaurant, The Grove.

The Minister started the day with a visit to the dental practice Dentistry at BD4 where she spoke to two apprentice dental nurses and the practice manager, who all championed apprenticeships as a great route to a career.

She then visited AESSEAL, a seal manufacturing business, where she chatted with engineering apprentices, supervisors and managers before the party headed to the college to see the state-of-the-art NORDEC facility which opened in 2017 to train dental nurses.

Apprenticeships and Skills Minister, Anne Milton said: “I was thrilled to visit Bradford College during National Apprenticeship Week, and to meet local employers and their apprentices training to be dental nurses and engineers. I was hugely impressed with the work the college is doing working with local businesses to offer people in Bradford the opportunity to secure great jobs. I look forward to hearing more about the progress they make, but I am sure Bradford College will continue to grow their work in apprenticeships training.”

Judith Cummins, the Labour member for Bradford South, said: “It was a really positive day and a great chance to show the Minister the excellent work that Bradford College does engaging with employers.

“I wanted to invite Anne here to showcase the work we do and highlight some of the issues that we uniquely face in Bradford.”

Dawn Leak, Director of Employer Responsiveness at Bradford College, said: “The visit gave us the opportunity to showcase our fantastic employers and apprentices in the region and discuss some of the challenges the college faces in the current climate.

“We are working with our employers on a daily and weekly basis to understand and address their needs.

“Apprenticeships are a cornerstone of the education and training delivered by Bradford College and we see greater opportunities to work with employers as a key part of our future development.”

The visit fell within National Apprenticeship Week and was one of a number of events held by Bradford College and its apprenticeship arm, City Training Services, to raise the profile apprenticeships as a great path for people at any stage of their career.

During the week-long celebration, the college also operated an Apprenticeship Hotline offering advice and guidance to prospective apprentices or their parents. Staff from the college visited a number of local schools to explain apprenticeship options to pupils. The college was also present at the Leeds Apprenticeship Recruitment Fair at Leeds First Direct Arena and at a careers fair at the Shay Stadium in Halifax. An event was also held for employers where the benefits of having an apprentice were championed.

Bradford College has 30 years’ experience of delivering apprenticeships, works with hundreds of employers across a range of industries and is the leading provider in Bradford in supporting 16-18 years old into apprenticeships.