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Scottish Apprenticeship Week – September 5 – 9 2011

Scotland’s first Apprenticeship Week - from September 5 - 9 will highlight to employers how apprentices can make a real difference to their businesses.

Led by Skills Development Scotland, the Scottish Apprenticeship Week seeks to support its partners’ initiatives to promote the benefits of modern apprentices.

If you plan to promote your own achievements and encourage employers to join the programme, please let us know so that we can promote your activities. Just drop an email to caroline.rham@sds.co.uk 0141 285 6108 or Audrey.simpson@sds.co.uk 0141 285 6207.

Here are some ideas. If you would like a template press release to promote your activities to the media, just give us a call.

• Give information on your website about apprenticeships and the role they can play in organisations

• Showcase high achieving apprentices on your website

• Mention your involvement in apprenticeships on Facebook and Twitter

• Ask apprentices to share their experiences of a typical day at work or in college on your website, Facebook or Twitter pages

• Arrange a half day workshop for employers to show how local organisations can be supported by the recruitment of new or existing employees into apprenticeships

• Organise a question and answer session for employers to learn more about apprenticeships

• Arrange a networking event with employers – including those who don’t have apprentices – and take apprentices along to discuss the benefits of apprenticeship to individuals and companies

• Nominate your best apprentices in the Scottish Modern Apprenticeship Awards

• Organise a ‘bringing work to school’ visit to discuss with teachers and pupils what skills employers are looking for

• Arrange for a local journalist to create a ‘day in the life of’ feature about an apprentice

• Organise an open day where your apprentices can show their skills to the local community

• Use ‘We Train Scotland’s Apprentices” at the bottom of company emails, corporate communications and correspondence

• Put a message of support for apprenticeship in your regular communications including Tweets and newsletters

• Display a banner on your premises showing your support for apprenticeships – or one thanking apprentices for their contribution to your business

• Organise an event which celebrates the achievements of all your apprentices, past and present

• Support apprentices who organise fund-raising events for a nominated charity

• Challenge a local celebrity or personality to spend a day as an apprentice

• If you are about to reach a milestone – such as your 50th apprentice, or that you have employed three generations of apprentices or had apprentices for 25 years, contact your local media or write a press release to celebrate this special success

• On your website show the career progress made by apprentices in their various organisations

• Show the career progress apprentices have made since completing their apprenticeship with your organisation

• Highlight the achievements of apprentices who trained with you and who have gone on to greater success

• Arrange for an apprentice to shadow the Chief Executive or a director for a day

• Hold a business breakfast to share the benefits of apprenticeships with suppliers and customers to encourage them to consider taking on an apprentice

• Work with other local businesses to create an event using current and former apprentices, with keynote speakers who started as apprentices and who have become business leaders

• Create case studies of your apprentices and their achievements and share them with your local media

• Have senior managers go “back to grass roots” by spending a day with an apprentice in their workplace

• Have a web page on your website dedicated to your work with apprentices where their achievements can be highlighted and which shows your company’s commitment to this form of training

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