We are Apprentice Nation and use the power of music as a gateway to kickstart a conversation about apprenticeships and to shine a light on all that this route has to offer.
We want to help address the shortfall in apprenticeship uptake and inspire young people to take up apprenticeships.
We’re here to debunk the myths around apprenticeships, by presenting their true value. We’re here to show they are a genuine alternative to university and a path to a lifelong career.
The driving forces behind Apprentice Nation
RockCorps and WhiteHat have come together to create this platform. The shared ambition is to inspire 16 to 24-year olds to start on a career journey suited to their passions.
RockCorps has a 15-year history of youth empowerment. They’ve engaged over 180,000 young people across ten countries supporting over 720,000 hours of social action. All driven by the simple message of Give: Get Given. Give a couple of hours to a social action project and get a ticket to an awesome gig. You can read more about RockCorps here
WhiteHat is Euan Blair and Sophie Adelman’s tech start-up that helps young people find jobs that they actually WANT. WhiteHat knows how important it is to reach out to a much wider range of people from different backgrounds. You can find out more about WhiteHat here.
The power of music
Far more people woke up this morning thinking of what music track they heard last night, or who won the match, compared to getting skills for life and work. That comes later. So, we start a conversation with music and then move onto passions, goals and aspirations.
And we think that if your career is meant to be fun and rewarding, so should the way you discover it!
Apprenticeships are our focus
Now, more than ever, Britain is not future-proof. And if we don’t view all of our young people as this country’s most valuable asset; and invest properly in developing them. University can’t be the only pipeline. Young people need to be prepared for the future and Apprenticeships have a considerable part to play in defining this future. So it is essential that we empower young people by giving them more information about their options.
After all, businesses are hungry for brilliant young people with a variety of experiences and from diverse backgrounds. But the way opportunities are presented means they’re often not reaching the very people they want.
We have to move beyond the first couple of rows of students in school assemblies, And those that put ‘find a great apprenticeship’ into a search bar.
Apprenticeships and the depth and breadth of opportunity
Myth No. 1 busted: Apprenticeships are not just for the manufacturing or construction industries. The creative industries are growing at three times the rate of the British economy: fashion, film, media or tech – and they need young talent. These jobs are the future of the British economy. But many of our school leavers aren’t presented an on-ramp to jobs they would love.
And it’s high up the government’s agenda too
The government set a target of 3 million new apprenticeships by 2022 – this is a significant target. Within that target is a concerted effort to engage young people from different backgrounds and experiences. To achieve this target, businesses are being encouraged to diversify their workforces by engaging more apprenticeships. Furthermore, in 2017 the government introduced the Apprenticeships Levy. This actively encourages companies with wage bills of over £3m to invest in and develop apprenticeship programmes.
Furthermore, the fast-changing world of work needs to grow their workforce. And that is going to need this rich tapestry of talent, interests and backgrounds. Apprenticeships are one of the best ways to do this.
How Apprentice Nation works
Action Days will be held nationwide and will offer invaluable advice on apprenticeships and interview tips, plus some time dedicated to delivering a social action project as part of a team. By giving young people a purpose, we can help them discover their passion and how to manifest that into their career.
Every young person who attends will earn a ticket to an exclusive celebration concert.
Learn more about our Action Days here and check out our gallery to get a taste of both our Action Days and our exclusive concerts.
If you’re interested and yet to sign up to an Action Day, click here and if you have any more questions either drop us an email at hello@apprenticenatiion.co.uk or send us a DM on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.