engaging employers

National Apprenticeship Week: The Employer Perspective

2 |Event Management Training

The employer experience from around the country

Over the last 2 months we’ve heard from employers around the country about how they promote Apprenticeships…

And best practice from training providers about what they do to

engage employers in Apprenticeships.

We’ve summarised these ideas and some top tips for running

events

Bristol


The Plymouth City Council Experience

The Council entered the Brathay Apprentice Challenge and handed over the promotion of Apprenticeships to the apprentices themselves The apprentices delivered: •  A short film for use in promoting Apprenticeships in schools •  School visits and lunch time drop in career events for Y11 &

12 •  Parent evening presence •  Job Centre Plus drop in sessions aimed at NEETs •  Employer breakfasts •  A community project as per the guidelines for the Brathay

Challenge


The Plymouth City Council Experience: Activity Grid

Date Event

Monday 3rd Raise awareness in schools: Develop a generic tool kit which will include a Making

Waves Plymouth DVD

(Ensuring continuity in the messages being communicated)

Tuesday 4th Worldskills/Have A Go: (Plymouth Guild Hall)

Target 800 plus 14 to 25 year olds and parents

Wednesday 5th Raise Awareness to Parents: Deliver Lunch and Learn Sessions for large

organisations, link into parents evenings, Parents event linked into Making Waves (trail

within the aquarium)

Thursday 6th Employer Day: Drinks and Canapés in Council House, Evening dinner talk event, PCC

Apprentices to run Employer engagement drop in at City Business Centre's

Friday 7th Unemployed & NEET Groups: Focused event within our Job Centres, Sector

focused recruitment, look at engaging with MP’s

Saturday 8th Making Waves, Schools Competition Guild Hall


Southern employers discussion

Real interest from employers getting involved in webcam activities targeted at schools - a pilot is being rolled out across the Southern Division Other ideas discussed: •  Get involved with regional Skills Show / Have a Go event •  Host a Pathways to Professions Apprenticeship event

being planned by West of England LEP •  Become a National Apprenticeship Ambassador Employers also suggested: •  Screen savers promoting apprenticeships •  Made by apprentices celebrations / exhibitions in company

receptions •  Using local company sponsorship activities to promote

apprentices

Birmingham


The NexteriaOne Experience

Tied activity into Comic Relief and gave organisational lead to apprentices – helped them develop team work, logistical and leadership skills The company also hosted an apprentice selection day


Central employers discussion

The #madebyapprentices approach was replicated by other organisations – using a team of apprentices to go out and take pictures around the city Providers in the room offered to link up small businesses / employers involved in NAW for the first time to help share the workload One provider suggested that at successful events 80% of employers should be existing apprentice employers, with 20% new ones What was key for successful events was giving employers an additional reason for attending: e.g. networking, free learning / CPD, guest speaker.


Leeds City Council as an employer

Over 200 apprentices in 5 directorates, over 1000 recruited since 2010 and want to increase the numbers through new Frameworks As an employer every post is now assessed for its suitability for an Apprenticeship The Council promotes take up of Apprenticeships to team leaders by showcasing the flexibility of Apprenticeships, the benefits apprentices bring to front line services and how they address the age profile issue of sections of the business Offer comparable starting packages to other areas


Leeds City Council as a promoter of Apprenticeships

Celebrate success of apprentices through awards and highlight 100 Apprenticeships in 100 days (100 in 100) annual activity to drive new Apprenticeship vacancies Build my future. Build my Leeds – competition to create a visual image for Leeds Arena and winners gained Apprenticeship to help work to bring their idea to fruition Promote Apprenticeships through procurement and supply chain to ensure apprentices are recruited at every step of the way


Leeds City Council as a co-ordinator

Winning application workshops for young people SME call-centre sessions: Bringing training providers to ring round local SMEs to bring on board to apprentices, using data from partners. One ring round resulted in 57 new Apprenticeships from SMEs. Companies House and National Apprenticeship Service data is available for mail outs – speak to your local authority Breakfast briefings for employers, providers and partners to discuss co-ordinated action


Northern employers discussion

You’re hired events in Scarborough: Employers with vacancies and potential apprentices hold matching events where apprentices take part in team building events to showcase different skills. Non-apprentice employers invited to see first hand the talent among young people. Run #madebyapprentices events to showcase what young people (16-18s especially) can bring to a business.

London


London & South East Employers Discussion

The Outsource presentation is available here:

•  http://www.slideshare.net/Apprenticeships/outsource-30391109

Gaining ministerial involvement relies on:

•  Creating a good event

•  Adding your event to the events planner (which is shared with Ministerial diary teams):

http://www.apprenticeships.org.uk/awards/apprenticeship-week-2014/eventform.aspx

•  Direct invitations from employers to private offices

Also consider working with NAS on the Centenary Campaign:

•  Commemorative community projects

•  http://www.apprenticeships.org.uk/employers/centenaryapprenticeshipprogramme.aspx

Tips for a successful event


Considerations in a successful event

Speakers

Budget

Venue

Event Style

Target Audience

Marke9ng Timings

Theme

Partners/stakeholders

Messaging


Invitations

Online event management system called – Eventbrite Create, share manage the invitation process


Marketing considerations

•  Marketing Events

•  Working with Providers/Partners/Stakeholders •  Inviting MPs •  Collateral •  Branding

•  Traditional PR

21 | Social media training

Social Media

Editorial calendar

Staffing

Technology

Pollenating

Connectivity

22 | Social media training

Social Media considerations

•  Connectivity: Wifi, 3G, Passwords?

•  Editorial calendar: Plan the actions well in advance, give social media team a full list of milestones and use bit.ly to track links. Think about tags in advance.

•  Technology: Consider a twitter wall, ipads for people to post from, Google Hangout / live stream on YouTube

•  Staffing: Who will do live tweeting, who has the ipad, who has the skills to work with each film / photography. Not a chaperone, but a reporter (don’t be afraid to re-record).

•  Pollenate: Are your stakeholders standing by, turn content around quickly (film over night, pictures & audio same afternoon).


The big day

•  Ensure that you arrive at the venue early enough to set up- don’t rush yourself!

•  Ensure that you have registration lists and any other materials you may need.

•  Make sure that on your arrival you liaise with the main venue contact and go through the arrangements again.

•  Familiarise yourself and all staff working on the event with the venue. Know where everything is, especially the toilets!

•  Check that the set-up is how you requested. •  Make sure that all staff working on the event are in place by

the designated times and understand their roles. •  Smile! Create a good atmosphere and that is what

attendees are most likely to remember!


Timeline

Objectives

Venue

Speakers

Theme

Budget

Partners

Messaging

Target Audience

Evaluation

THE EVENT

Invitations

Event Style

Marketing/PR

This process can take anything from 3 weeks to 3 months

Briefing

engaging employers

Education

team of apprentices

parents event

focused event

event host

pcc apprentices

potential apprentices

benefits apprentices

success of apprentices