News
National Apprenticeship Week: Economy Minister urges businesses to take on an apprentice
At the start of Apprenticeships Week , Economy Minister Vaughan Gething has seen how a shared apprenticeship has given new opportunities to community sport clubs and for young people to learn new skills.
National Apprenticeship Week is an annual week-long celebration of apprenticeships. This will take place between 16th – 12th February 2023.
Achieve More Training have partnered with The Welsh Government, Ap-Prentis and Grwp Llandrillo Menai to help support community sport clubs in Wales.
A Shared Apprenticeship is where apprentices are employed by Ap-Prentis, who manage the recruitment, HR and payroll services. Achieve More Training mentor and deliver the training of the apprenticeship, leaving clubs to focus on the impact the apprentice can have in their community.
Today economy minister Vaughan Gething has visited Deeside Leisure Centre to see how shared apprentice, Michael Speare of Deeside Dragons Ice Hockey Club, has made a positive impact for young people to learn new skills. Whilst also learning the role of a community sport coach, completing his qualification and increasing participation and membership at the club.
Vaughan Gething commented “I’ve been at Deeside Leisure Centre today to meet Achieve More Training to understand more about what we’re doing with businesses like this and the shared apprenticeship scheme.
I’ve been able to meet Michael to see what he’s been doing and to see the difference this is making for him. I also had lots of fun playing some ice hockey but the serious business was seeing what we’re doing to help roll out a more flexible scheme for different employers and people like Michael, who could really benefit from them.”
Michael Speare was one of our first learners to join our Shared Apprenticeship Scheme in September. Michael is extremely passionate about ice hockey. His career aspiration is to become part of the Deeside Dragons ice hockey team and become the head coach for the junior club at Deeside ice rink.
Michael added “I enjoy my apprenticeship very much. I love gaining experience and knowledge in my role. I am able to do more ice hockey coaching, helping people learn how to hold their hockey stick correctly, basic shooting skills and also passing skills. I can then take the learners to the ice rink and begin teaching them how to skate.”
Mike Welch, Chief Executive of Aura Wales, said: “Michael’s role as a Club apprentice, working under the mentorship of James Parsons, Aura’s Junior Ice Hockey Head Coach, has enabled us to both re-engage with young people and to attract new players to the Club. This has been achieved across a variety of different settings such as school taster sessions, off-ice coaching and Aura’s Learn To Skate programme. What was a pretty bleak future for the Junior Ice Hockey Club due to the pandemic is now looking really positive. We can see growth and progression to the Club and Michael is playing a really important role in supporting this. The level of growth we have experienced would not have been possible without the apprenticeship scheme and Achieve More Training.”
Jordan Hadaway, Tutor/Assessor has said “I really believe that this shared apprenticeship scheme between the sports clubs and ourselves at Achieve More Training will help the clubs be able to go that extra mile and let them deliver and make an impact in the communities more than they have ever been able to”.
If you would like to find out more about our shared apprenticeship scheme, please get in touch!
Website: www.achievemoretraining.com
Email: info@achievemoretraining.com
Phone: 01745 797 797