Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
    • Advertise
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Equality, diversity and inclusion
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • XpertHR
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Pricing
    • Free trial
    • Subscribe
    • XpertHR USA
  • Webinars
  • OHW+

Personnel Today

Register
Log in
Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
    • Advertise
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Equality, diversity and inclusion
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • XpertHR
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Pricing
    • Free trial
    • Subscribe
    • XpertHR USA
  • Webinars
  • OHW+

Social mobilityApprenticeshipsLatest NewsEarly careers

Apprenticeships boost social mobility in ‘cold spot’ areas

by Ashleigh Webber 1 Jul 2019
by Ashleigh Webber 1 Jul 2019 MP Justine Greening speaking at the launch of the Skills Tap report.
MP Justine Greening speaking at the launch of the Skills Tap report.

Apprenticeships should be seen as an opportunity to improve social mobility, increase productivity and develop a skilled workforce, according to a report backed by former education secretary Justine Greening MP.

The Skills Tap report, published by water supplier Severn Trent and campaign group the Social Mobility Pledge, states that apprenticeships help support people from all backgrounds into a rewarding career, especially young people from “cold spot” areas where opportunities are less readily available.

Apprenticeships

Temporary workers missing out on skills development

Three million apprenticeship starts target will be missed

It claims that the social mobility benefits of apprenticeships become evident when looking at their salary outcomes. According to government figures, level 2 apprenticeships have the salary potential of between £48,000 and £74,000; between £77,000 and £117,000 for level 3; and £150,000 or more for those completing an apprenticeship at level 4 over their lifetime.

Skill Tap’s report states that offering apprenticeships has helped Severn Trent improve social mobility in Coventry, where it is headquartered. Many areas of the city are in the bottom half of the government’s social mobility index, which the report says gives it potential to improve outcomes for young people.

According to government figures, 83% of apprentices say it has improved their career prospects.

Severn Trent CEO Liv Garfield said: “We see apprenticeships as a crucial part of the solution to better social mobility. A third of the nation’s social mobility cold spots are in the communities we serve, so we have a great chance to make a real difference and create opportunities that otherwise wouldn’t be there.

“Apprenticeships are vitally important to help young people get experience in the workplace, learn new skills, while earning and contributing to the workplace. It’s our responsibility to do more, to help those in society that need these chances in life.”

Greening, who founded the Social Mobility Pledge, said it was vital that the UK adopted a lifelong learning approach to meet future skills needs.

“Severn Trent is a great example of a company that totally gets that. It was inspiring to see how they can transform lives for the better and to meet some of the people who began their career as apprentices and have worked their way up,” she said.

Severn Trent will offer 13 different apprenticeship programmes in 2019/20, ranging from technicians to roles at higher apprenticeship levels.

  Workforce planning opportunities on Personnel Today

Browse more workforce planning jobs

Ashleigh Webber
Ashleigh Webber

Ashleigh is editor of OHW+ and HR and wellbeing editor at Personnel Today. Ashleigh's areas of interest include employee health and wellbeing, equality and inclusion and skills development. She has hosted many webinars for Personnel Today, on topics including employee retention, financial wellbeing and menopause support. Prior to joining Personnel Today in 2018, she covered the road transport sector for Commercial Motor and Motor Transport magazines, touching on some of the employment and wellbeing issues experienced by those in road haulage.

previous post
Four FTSE 250 firms still have all-male boards
next post
Temporary workers missing out on skills development

Leave a Comment Cancel Reply

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

You may also like

Lower-skilled workers miss out on training investment

19 Apr 2023

Is the workplace now a ‘wokeplace’?

24 Mar 2023

Santander removes 2:1 degree requirement from graduate scheme

4 Jan 2023

RAD Awards 2023 shortlist: Equality, Diversity & Inclusion...

22 Dec 2022

KPMG research shows class the biggest barrier to...

19 Dec 2022

Law firms dominate Social Mobility Index, but overall...

9 Dec 2022

Report finds young people feel shut out of...

7 Dec 2022

HR leaders join Social Mobility Commission employer advisory...

1 Dec 2022

Diversity becoming key to clients‘ choice of law...

21 Nov 2022

Working class employees earn almost £7,000 less than...

14 Nov 2022

  • The HR Bundle: Your one-stop guide to building a successful global HR Department PROMOTED | Get your hands on Deel’s free HR bundle...Read more
  • The Benefits of an Employee Assistance Programme PROMOTED | EAPs support employees in a range of ways...Read more
  • Intergenerational working and how to manage up and down the generations PROMOTED | The benefits and challenges of intergenerational workplaces...Read more
  • Bereavement in the workplace: How training can help HR get it right PROMOTED | HR professionals play an essential role...Read more
  • UK workforce mental wellbeing needs PROMOTED | The mental wellbeing support employers are providing misses the mark...Read more

Personnel Today Jobs
 

Search Jobs

PERSONNEL TODAY

About us
Contact us
Browse all HR topics
Email newsletters
Content feeds
Cookies policy
Privacy policy
Terms and conditions

JOBS

Personnel Today Jobs
Post a job
Why advertise with us?

EVENTS & PRODUCTS

The Personnel Today Awards
The RAD Awards
Employee Benefits
Forum for Expatriate Management
OHW+
Whatmedia

ADVERTISING & PR

Advertising opportunities
Features list 2023

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Linkedin


© 2011 - 2023 DVV Media International Ltd

Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
    • Advertise
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Equality, diversity and inclusion
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • XpertHR
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Pricing
    • Free trial
    • Subscribe
    • XpertHR USA
  • Webinars
  • OHW+