By Claire Fennelow
At the beginning of last week – National Apprenticeship Week – I attended an event hosted by Westminster Council sharing information on Apprenticeships they offer through Westminster Adult Education Service (WAES). I was attending principally to find out what other sectors and organisations are doing in this space as EVCOM is part of a Working Party set up by UKEvents and led by Richard Waddington and Candice Kass to resurrect the Events Apprenticeship Scheme.
Whilst it is heartening to see the great strides that other sectors have taken in developing apprenticeship programmes, it is also frustrating that our industry has been slower to put their time and money into helping get the Events Apprenticeship Scheme up and running. A lot of work has already been done in the background, all by volunteers, who have been pulling together existing apprenticeships, reviewing, and refining them and working with the industry so everyone understands the benefits, values, processes, and funding available.
We cannot let the events industry, and the opportunities within it, be a mystery. How can we expect people to be queuing up to join us if they don’t know how to get in? We need to work together to throw open that door and invite people in! With your help that is what we intend to do.
Events Apprenticeships is a not-for-profit organisation working on behalf of the events industry. Our aim is to get 1000 people a year into the Events Industry through apprenticeships across the UK and across the sector. The EAAB (Events Apprentice Advisory Board) will work with event businesses to build a sustainable model for success. The government will only fund the learning elements of the apprenticeships (between 5-10k per trainee), they will not fund the management and subsequent costs of developing the events apprenticeship framework, so the industry needs to do this. As such, the EAAB is kicking off our fundraising through the crowdfunding process.
Whilst we know this a massive ask in the current financial climate, it is imperative for our sector to have a robust and inclusive apprenticeship program, as such we are asking people/companies to support and contribute, large or small, to help us realise this ambition. Companies that support us now will have their profile showcased on the Events Apprenticeships website and be recognised as founding partners (or similar).
Having been asked to provide some guidance regarding funding requirements, we suggest the following (but it’s up to you):
- Individuals – £25.00
- Small Co’s (up to 15 people) – £250
- Medium Co’s up to 60 people – £750
- Large Co’s (60 people and above) – £2000
You can find out more and donate here: https://bit.ly/3katApu
If you prefer to donate via an invoice, please email us and we can arrange this.
You can visit us here: www.eventsapprenticeships.org