Taking place between February 10 and 16, 2025, Apprenticeship Week Wales is an annual week-long celebration of apprenticeships, and the value they bring to learners, employers, and the wider Welsh economy.
Bringing together apprentices, training providers, parents and employers, Apprenticeship Week highlights the work being done across the whole apprenticeship community to promote the positive impact they are having throughout Wales.
Here, Bridget Moseley, Head of the University’s Apprenticeship Unit, reflects on the UWTSD approach to Apprenticeship programmes:
“The University has always been proactive in seeking opportunities for innovation so our capacity to work across traditional boundaries gave us the perfect platform to embrace the development of Degree Apprenticeships, nine years ago. By continuing to work closely with regional, national, and international employers we have been able to create programmes in a range of sectors to up-skill, re-skill and develop those at the beginning of their careers in those sectors.
“The University now has apprenticeship provision in Law (CILEX); Human Resource Management (CIPD); Engineering, including Embedded Electronics, Electrical & Electronics and Manufacturing Systems; Supply Chain and Logistics Management; Stained Glass; Construction Management; Quantity Surveying; Therapies Assistant Practise; Data Science, User Experience and Archaeology.
“As an employment-focused university we are dedicated to ensuring our apprentices, from broad and diverse backgrounds, develop the academic knowledge and practical skills to thrive in their roles. They get the opportunity to gain a qualification, which in turn boosts their confidence and self-esteem. The team of industry experienced Apprentice Liaison Officers brings commercial understanding and knowledge to the process; they provide the crucial link between the apprentices, their employers, and the university and through regular meetings they ensure that the apprentices continue to develop and thrive throughout the programme. Apprentices engage with the academic elements of the provision through online, face-to-face, and blended learning; the Apprentice Liaison Officers stay connected with them, and their employers, through the regular review process.
“We meet with employers, their employees, and potential new apprentices to discuss the programmes available and how they can support individuals to develop skills and knowledge directly relevant to their jobs and the companies that they work for.
“During Apprenticeship Week, we’ll be celebrating the achievements of our apprentices and how they have shown such commitment and resilience to developing new skills in the workplace whilst studying and managing all of the challenges that balancing personal and professional life brings. We are so proud of them.
“One of the joys of my role is working with such a diverse range of people, who have broad experiences of previous education, work, and life; and to see them gain the confidence and skills which enable them to thrive in their careers.”
