Celebrating our biggest ever cohort of graduating apprentices

The week started with online information sessions for staff who are considering recruiting an apprentice or those who would like to undertake an apprenticeship for their professional development. Face-to-face drop-in sessions at UCL East and Bloomsbury provided further opportunities to meet the apprenticeship team and to find out more about what we offer at UCL. 

Attendance at community events hosted by Newham and Camden allowed us to promote upcoming Early Career Apprentice opportunities to young people considering their next steps after school, Sixth Form or College. 

The highlight of the week was the inaugural Apprentice Celebration where graduating apprentices were presented with a Certificate of Achievement from Andy Smith, Interim Vice President (Operations). It was excellent to be able to celebrate 10 apprentices completing, all of whom have now secured permanent onward jobs. This is the biggest completing cohort to date, but as we continue to embed apprenticeships across the university, this number is likely to grow, with around 30 apprentices expected to complete next year!  

Celebrating the success of our apprentices, we heard about their personal and professional growth and their success in securing permanent roles and forging careers within UCL.  Attendees heard from a range of speakers about the benefits of apprenticeships and Donna Dalrymple, Chief People Officer spoke about the importance of apprenticeships in building our workforce for the future. Attending departments who are investing in apprentices and growing our talent were also recognised and presented with an Investor in Apprenticeship Award.  

We are growing the number of early-career and mid-career apprentices at UCL over the coming years. To find out more about recruiting an apprentice or undertaking an apprenticeship for your professional development, more information can be found on the UCL Apprenticeship Programme website.