National Apprenticeship Week: Inside Success

It’s National Apprentice Week this week (celebrating from 7^th-13^th February), which seems a perfect time to talk about the many benefits of degree apprenticeship.

Finding your first job can be difficult. It can be even harder if you don’t have the skills or experience to start on your desired career path. What is the solution? Not everyone can afford university costs, especially post-pandemic. Even those that can afford such degrees may still graduate without the work experience that employers want to see.

Degree apprenticeships solve this problem.

They are a hybrid undertaking, combining on-the-job training with studying for a higher-level qualification. In a nutshell: they are a paid job that allows you to learn as you work. As any university graduate will tell you, an opportunity that cushions the financial blow of a student loan is worthwhile.

This kind of on-the-job training significantly increases career progression opportunities for graduates. Courses are comprehensive, and focus on the most relevant and useful skills for a chosen profession. This ensures students are well-prepared for the next stage in their career, and can confidently pursue advancement.

Potential students can choose from a wide range of degree apprenticeships in the UK. Although financial disciplines are arguably the most popular, there are degree apprenticeships in marketing and innovation, charity and philanthropy, and even manual specialisms like masonry and architecture restoration.

Although the word ‘apprentice’ conjures the idea of a young worker just starting out in their career, these opportunities aren’t exclusive to school leavers and new graduates. Foundation courses are available for most industry sectors, but apprentices can study at every level, all the way up to an Executive PhD.

No wonder this week is a cause for celebration! The possibilities of success with degree apprenticeships seem endless. To find out more, visit: https://www.apprenticeships.gov.uk/influencers/naw-2022#

Or visit KTAS to discover how our training courses can help your career and business: https://www.ktands.co.uk/

Leadership & Management

Developing leaders who move people forward. Strong leadership isn’t built through abstract frameworks, it grows when managers understand themselves, understand the people they lead and feel ready to handle real workplace pressures. Our programmes are created with that in mind. They are practical, human and shaped around the demands of your organisation, not a generic curriculum.

Recruitment

Recruitment shaped around capability, contribution and long-term fit. At Kirkwood Consulting, recruitment is approached with care and depth. We support employers who want hiring that is ethical, consistent and built around genuine potential. Our role is to help you bring in people who strengthen culture, raise performance and stay long enough to make an impact.

Business Transformation & Consultancy

Practical transformation for organisations navigating real change. We support employers who need to reshape their workforce, strengthen leadership, improve culture, redesign operations or prepare for large-scale growth. Our role is to make the work manageable and to bring structure to complex challenges so that people feel supported, not overwhelmed.

Skills & Employment

Supporting professionals back into meaningful work. Skills shortages, shifting labour markets and evolving employer expectations mean that many capable people struggle to re-enter the workforce – not because they lack talent, but because they lack tailored support. Our Skills & Employment programmes are designed to bridge that gap.

International Training & Consultancy

Global insight with culturally aware delivery. Kirkwood Consulting has spent years supporting organisations across the UAE, Canada, Africa, Europe and Asia. Our international work is built on a simple goal: training and consultancy must be shaped around the cultural, economic and organisational realities of each region. That is what makes our global partnerships so successful.