More than 300 young people aged 14 – 16 from 25 schools across Cardiff and the Vale of Glamorgan have now completed a Junior Apprenticeship programme run by Cardiff and Vale College (CAVC).
Launched in 2016, the Junior Apprenticeship is designed to increase the number of young people in education, employment or training. Success rates are high with most learners having achieved vocational qualifications and GCSEs, and the majority have progressed on to further education or employment.
Positive impacts of the junior apprenticeship programme include improved levels of engagement and attendance and strong positive learner feedback. A recent Estyn report also noted the transformation in many learners’ attitudes to learning from relative disengagement to making enthusiastic and ambitious choices to commit and continue to post-compulsory learning.
Cardiff and Vale College won a prestigious Association of Colleges UK-wide Beacon Award for Transition into Post-16 Education and Training in 2017 and four other Colleges in South Wales are now also running the Junior Apprenticeship programme.
Sharon James-Evans is Principal of Cardiff and Vale College. She said:
“School absenteeism, particularly among young people aged 14-16, has increased post pandemic. Missing school can lead to lower academic performance, disengagement from education, and a higher likelihood of long-term unemployment or underemployment. This has a negative impact on society and our economy.
“By working collaboratively with employers, local authorities and Welsh Government, our junior apprentices are developing the skills required to meet the needs of key priority sectors including automotive, creative media, construction, hair and beauty, hospitality and catering and sport. It’s a programme that is helping to create a more equal Wales and drive the sustainable economic growth needed to underpin many of our key public services.
“Much work has been done over the last decade to promote apprenticeships as a career opportunity to young people but reductions in funding reduce the confidence of our young people (and their parents/guardians) and for employers to create new opportunities. We need radical thinking to further improve access to apprenticeship opportunities and to increase our efforts in matching young people to vacancies and creating new apprenticeship opportunities with employers. That will be a win-win for the economy and society at large.”
Cardiff and Vale College is part of the Cardiff and Vale College Group that also includes ACT Training and ALS Training. With an annual turnover in excess of £130 million, it the largest college group in Wales and third largest in the UK, supporting more than 2,000 large employers, SMES and micro businesses in the private, public and third sector each year to upskill, reskill and diversify their workforce.
