National Apprenticeship Week 2025 - #SkillsForLife
Monday 10 February 2025 is the start of National Apprenticeship Week (NAW) 2025. The week brings together people and organisations passionate about apprenticeships to celebrate the benefits and opportunities that apprenticeships bring.
This year’s theme is ‘Skills for Life’. It encourages everyone to consider and celebrate how apprenticeships and skills help individuals develop rewarding careers, and employers to develop a workforce with future-ready skills.
We asked apprentices at Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust (GMMH) how they feel doing an apprenticeship has helped them. Here are their responses:
Madelaine Ackers, Deputy Chief Pharmacy Technician, who completed an Operational / Departmental Apprenticeship (Management Level 5 – Management and Leadership), said:
“Being in a new managerial role, the apprenticeship provided me with opportunities for growth in real time and through practical experience, by focusing on the essential skillset needed to meet the demands of operational management. I was able to interweave my learning and studies and put it into practice daily, gaining new levels of understanding and mapping this against the necessary behaviours, which I feel I demonstrate to a much-improved standard now.
“I feel more confident to take on challenges and to further explore my capabilities to new depths. I can recognise my strengths and identify gaps – which is crucial to maintain personal and professional development. I feel in a fortunate position to want to now propel myself even further in my career. So much so, I applied for a senior position recently, reached interview and received excellent feedback. Although not appointed – I was incredibly proud of the step I took, which I wouldn’t have taken without my apprenticeship.
“The quality of the learning material was really helpful - I have access to many worthwhile tools and techniques and theories that can support me as an operational manager and within a leadership role.
“I made friendships and connections with various staff from other professions within GMMH - during study, tutorials and continued support for each other.
“I have discovered more about myself as a person - a resilience and motivation that I didn’t know was within me in difficult situations, and that its ok to step outside your comfort zone.”
Andrew King, Staff Nurse, who completed a Trainee Nursing Associate Foundation Degree and a Registered Nurse Degree Apprenticeship, said:
“I have been so fortunate to have done two apprenticeships with the Trust - a Trainee Nursing Associate Foundation Degree and a Registered Nurse Degree Apprenticeship.
“Both courses have enabled me to progress from a Senior Support Worker to a Staff Nurse. Where I was once limited in which roles I could progress to, I can now progress further in my career as a nurse. This also means that I have the potential to go onto further higher education and higher career progression. I would not be in this position without my apprenticeships.
“I have taken away that it is possible to enter higher education and better yourself as a mature student and apprenticeships have helped me do that. Also, that it is possible through apprenticeships to earn a wage and support your family. I also found that working on the job and having learnt experience invaluable. This has helped me to become a more confident and competent nurse. I would definitely look at completing an apprenticeship again and would recommend it to others.”
Events
Join The Big Assembly 2025 for all things apprenticeships. The national event will include apprenticeship myth busting, Q&As, feedback from employers as well as former and current apprentices.
The event will be held on Tuesday 11 February 2025 . More Information can be found here.
You can learn more about NAW at National Apprenticeship Week 2025, 10 - 16 February 2025
Join in the conversation!
X (formally Twitter): @GMMH_NHS
Facebook: @GMMentalHealth
Instagram: @gmmh_nhs
Or search the hashtag #NAW2025 #SkillsForLife
