How to make apprenticeships more accessible

When I saw the alarming figures for youth unemployment in the West Midlands and beyond, it was clear that more needed to be done to prepare and equip young people for employment. Specifically, this felt like an opportunity to positively influence in-school and at-home perceptions of apprenticeship pathways as a viable route into employment.

To address existing barriers, we collaborated with fellow Cornerstone Employer partners HS2 and LendLease on a four-month programme that raises awareness of technical pathways and supplies young people with the skills they need to succeed. Huge skill shortages are forming in engineering, so our focus was to emulate a real working environment that gave young people an authentic taste of what the sector is truly like. In a nutshell, that’s how the Access to Apprenticeship Pilot was born.

Inspire the next generation through relatable role models

During the planning stage, we realised that at least six engagements were needed to make a sustained difference. That way, we’d have more time to address the specific needs of each young person, whether that was their presentation skills, teamwork or even professional demeanour.

A significant time commitment like this facilitated closer bonds between the young people and their mentors, who were selected from our degree apprenticeship schemes. By sharing their fresher perspectives on post-school life, these mentors grew into true role models – their experiences inherently more relatable given the fact they came from similar backgrounds and communities as our young participants.

Build essential skills through project-based experience

For the main group task, the participants were split into mixed-school teams and asked to design a ‘building of the future’. For that, they needed to assign structural roles similar to those that exist in each of our businesses, such as a Project Manager. Here, the intention was to get people out of their comfort zones, encourage social interaction, and promote the professional resilience that schools can’t always replicate.

To the same aim, the programme also included a hybrid work experience model, which gave the young people proper working responsibilities. By immersing them in the reality of a professional environment with a range of employees at all stages of their careers, we demonstrated the diverse pool of people and roles that can be found in the engineering sector.

Prepare young people for application processes

Ultimately, our programme gives young people something to reference when they’re in a first interview. To help them put their new experiences into context, a few of our sessions focused on self-reflective application preparation. After that, we put them through their paces by recreating the various scenarios of being interviewed, assessed, and even delivering a presentation.

Providing application support to Key Stage 5 is crucial because these young people are most at risk of becoming NEET (Not in Education, Employment or Training). As a result, we were able to inject some confidence into their live applications during a critical transitional period in their lives. By catching them before they potentially fall, we can empower their future careers – whatever that may look like.

Moving forward

At the end of the programme, it was fantastic to see ten of the cohort directly apply for vacancies within AtkinsRéalis. However, our aim wasn’t just to attract diverse talent, but also to make opportunities equitable across our community. We want to make sure young people are educated on their options everywhere – not just with us.

It’s important to remember that not all young people come to the world of work from the same backgrounds. Done right, these Access Programmes are about levelling the playing field so that everyone gets a fair shot – offering equity, rather than just equality.

That’s why we’d encourage interested businesses from any sector to reach out to their local Careers Hub, particularly if you’re small or medium-sized. I like to think that you get out what you put in – so if enough organisations from all industries pledge their support to initiatives like this, we could make an enormous difference in rectifying the skills shortages and resolving youth unemployment across the country.

Blog by Dan Heffernan, Strategic Social Value Lead – AtkinsRéalis & Chair of West Midlands Combined Authority Careers Hub Cornerstone Employer Group