News and Events

National Apprenticeship Week, 6 – 12 February 2023

To mark National Apprenticeship Week, we have been raising awareness of apprenticeships in school so that students know what they are, how they work and the types of apprenticeships available. Activities have included a trip to a local college, drop-in sessions with local employers and technical education providers, an employer quiz, special tutor time presentations and an extended assembly.

On Monday 6 February, a group of Year 10 students went to visit Buxton & Leek College for an Apprenticeships Experience afternoon. They listened to a presentation about how apprenticeships work and then went to meet the tutors from different subject areas at an apprenticeships fair. The group also took a tour of the professional Hair & Beauty salons and Hospitality & Catering kitchens to see what the training facilities are like for current apprentices.

We welcomed local employer, Tarmac, who came into talk to students about their current vacancies for Mechanical and Electrical apprentices and how to apply. Macclesfield College and Stockport College also held lunchtime drop-in sessions for students to showcase their range of apprenticeship vacancies and the local employers they work with.

Students from our Learning Support Department took part in mock interviews with local employers from AstraZeneca, Concept Life Sciences and the Health & Safety Laboratory as part of their ‘Pathways to Success’ employability programme with the DEBP. This was a valuable experience for the group who learnt some new skills and received some great feedback from the employers about how they performed in their interviews.

On Friday 12 February, all Year 9s attended a special extended assembly focussing on Apprenticeships and T Levels which was delivered by Buxton & Leek College. Students learnt about the structure and benefits of these technical qualifications, took part in an interactive quiz to test their understanding and benefitted from a Q&A session with college staff.

Thank you to everyone who helped to make our National Apprenticeship Week so enjoyable and useful. Our students are now more informed about apprenticeships and understand that this could be an option for them in the future.