Leicester College, the largest apprenticeship training delivery organisation in Leicester, has launched its new Apprentice Ambassador programme. The programme aims to recruit new ambassadors to help inspire students, their teachers, parents, and employers about the incredible opportunities that apprenticeships offer.

There are currently over 1,500 Leicester College students working with local businesses in apprentice roles. The College is looking to recruit enthusiastic apprentices or recently completed apprentices from Leicester and Leicestershire to spread the word about the value of the apprenticeship courses at Leicester College.

Gerarde Manley, Careers Hub Manager at the Leicester and Leicestershire Enterprise Partnership (LLEP), commented: “Our role at the LLEP is to work with local schools and colleges such as Leicester College to help them to meet the benchmarks for apprenticeships, and raise awareness and understanding of the opportunities that they provide. Having talented apprentices in a business can really help to drive growth for that employer.”

Tina Jivraj, Business Development Manager for Apprenticeships at Leicester College, added: “Apprentices are the mainstay of Leicester College and by launching our Apprentice Ambassador programme, we’re hoping to recruit a number of students who’ve really gained from the experience and are able to explain the benefits and opportunities to other young people.”

Felicity Monks is an apprentice electrician in her final year at Leicester College and working with William Davis Homes, a Midlands-based housing developer. She added: “I’m a firm believer in the opportunities for women in construction and by becoming an Apprentice Ambassador for the College, I can talk to others about my experiences. Apprenticeships weren’t spoken about at my school and I was encouraged by my family to look at the course, so I’m keen to make the opportunities clear to young people of all ages.”

Callum Oram is on a manufacturing engineering apprenticeship at Leicester College, working as a fabricator welder for Adey Steel Group, one of the UK’s leading steel fabricators. He commented: “Not everybody is ready for or suited to university so in my role as an ambassador, I’ll be helping to educate young people on how apprenticeships can help them to progress their future careers. It’s been a ‘bridge to work’ for me, offering skills and experiences that I wouldn’t have achieved if I’d stayed on for A Levels and university.”

All apprenticeships involve 80 per cent of the student’s time spent at their workplace and a range of study formats including day release and block release to attend college, and study time away from their day-to-day role within the workplace. For more information on apprenticeships at Leicester College, visit https://leicestercollege.ac.uk/apprenticeships/