Securing an apprenticeship can provide such a brilliant career start, so the UK’s National Apprenticeship Week provides a fabulous opportunity to encourage people to choose apprenticeships as a ladder to a great career. It also serves as an ideal time to encourage more women into apprenticeships.

What sort of companies offer apprenticeships you may ask? The answer is a wide selection - including those in the engineering, logistics, technology and transport planning sectors amongst many others. Top employers such as GKN, AECOM, Diageo, Arup, University of Sheffield, Amazon, Schneider Electric and Thales have excellent programmes in place offering supportive and collaborative learning environments where on the job training is key.

Apprentices learn real skills at GKN

When you join any of GKN's apprenticeship schemes, you're assigned to a mentor who offers advice and support with any issues - work or study based - during your time as an apprentice. This kind of support and guidance continues through investment and training throughout your career with this leading engineering company.

“It is a sum of inexplicable emotions: the adventure of work experience, the learning process, and the opportunity of having new good friends….Thanks a lot for giving me the opportunity to belong to the generation of new talent from 2015-2016 and now belong to the group of employees of GKN Driveline México,” says Deyanira Arias, GKN Driveline, Mexico.

AECOM encourages career growth

AECOM's UK Apprenticeship Programme has been established to support and train school leavers - and they're proving very popular with talented women. As a global network of experts working with clients, communities and colleagues to develop and implement innovative solutions to the world’s most complex challenges - AECOM is a rewarding place for apprentices to be. Sound interesting? Take a look at AECOM’s current apprenticeship opportunities.

Diageo nurtures talent

Diageo is driven to grow their people. They’re the world leading premium drinks company - and when it comes to apprenticeships, Diageo’s culture of nurturing and growing its people is truly evident. Rolled out across the supply side of their business, Diageo sees apprenticeships as key to their future business and to creating valuable employment for young people.

Find out more about the apprentice opportunities at Diageo.

Building resources at Arup

With the demand for engineers growing rapidly, Arup strongly supports the apprenticeship scheme as a way of growing their own resource base. For National Apprenticeship Week, Arup hosts a networking event with Future Female Engineers where female engineering students are encouraged to build their professional network of like-minded female students, and meet with key industry professionals. Keep up to date with latest apprenticeships available at Arup. 

Exciting partnership for University of Sheffield

Advanced level or higher apprenticeships are offered at the University of Sheffield’s Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC) offering an exciting, unique experience, working with state-of-the-art facilities. One such facility is that of the new McLaren Composites Technology Centre.

An ongoing partnership between AMRC and McLaren Automotive has led to the development of this purpose-built production facility which is to create more than 200 new jobs. The centre will be responsible for the development and manufacturing of advanced carbon fibre chassis for McLaren Automotive’s supercars, which is a very exciting project for any budding engineer.

The University of Sheffield’s AMRC Training Centre will train McLaren apprentices who will work in the new facility. Find out more about apprenticeship opportunities at University of Sheffield.

New apprenticeship programme at Amazon

Amazon has announced an apprenticeship programme, offering hundreds of apprenticeship opportunities in engineering, logistics, and warehousing roles in fulfilment centres across the UK.

“We are creating thousands of new UK jobs including hundreds of apprenticeship opportunities as we continue to innovate for our customers and provide them with even faster delivery, more selection and better value,” says Doug Gurr, UK Country Manager. “We are hiring for all types of roles from flight test engineers, software engineers and corporate managers in our development centres and head office, to operations managers, supervisors, engineers, service technicians, HR roles and order fulfilment roles in our fulfilment centres.”

Keep up to date with the latest apprenticeship vacancies at Amazon. 

Learning from the inside at Schneider Electric

Schneider Electric is always on the lookout for passionate, talented individuals - and you don’t have to be a university graduate or a qualified trades person to join them. The Schneider Electric Apprenticeship Programme gives high school leavers, training college students and electrical apprentices the opportunity to explore a broad range of entry-level roles within their organisation.

There’s no better way to learn about Schneider Electric's industry and global organisation, than from inside the organisation. Take a look at Schneider Electric’s current apprenticeship opportunities. 

Helping to create the future at Thales  

As a highly innovative global engineering firm - nurturing the talent of the future makes sense for a business built on innovation.

For National Apprenticeship Week, Thales hopes to inspire individuals about the merits of their apprenticeship programmes. Successful Thales apprentices of today could become the employees of tomorrow - designing groundbreaking solutions for the Aerospace, Space, Transportation, Defence and Security industries.

So opportunities like National Apprenticeship Week in the UK provide a significant opportunity for top employers and aspirational apprentices to come together and celebrate the large range of opportunities available.

Find out more