A celebration of the achievements of hundreds of Leicester apprentices was staged in De Montfort Hall this week.

The special graduation ceremony was hosted by Leicester City Council’s Apprenticeship Hub to mark their success in a wide variety of local businesses and industries,

Each graduate was personally called up on stage to be congratulated by Sue Waddington, assistant mayor for jobs and skills, and Lady Gretton, the Lord-Lieutenant of Leicestershire.
Coun Waddington said: “The future economic prosperity of the city depends upon us having a skilled workforce, and new, quality apprenticeships are making a real contribution to up-skilling Leicester’s labour force.”

Tracey Waterfield, Apprentice Hub Manager added: “This was our second graduation. The first year was very well received, with feedback being overwhelmingly positive.

“The event really enables us to demonstrate to employers the value of skills delivered through employing apprentices.”
The ceremony included awards for Advanced Apprentice of the Year (sponsored by South Leicestershire College/North Warwickshire and Hinckley College), Higher Apprentice of the Year (sponsored by Leicester College), Small Employer of the Year (sponsored by In Training), and Large Employer of the year (sponsored by LLEP).

Guest speakers included Andrea Gray, operations director for Hastings Direct, and Shaun Meekins, head of operations, Barclay’s Apprenticeship programmes.

More than 200 businesses which support apprentices along with family and friends of the graduates were invited to the ceremony which also featured music, 3D design, textiles design and film-making presentations by students from Gateway Sixth Form College, Leicester College and Loughborough College

Clare Bonson, head of employer and delivery services for the National Apprenticeship Service said: “Apprentice graduation ceremonies enable talented apprentices and committed employers to receive the recognition they richly deserve. “They not only help celebrate the achievements of apprentices and businesses, allowing them to gain the credit for investing in their own futures, but they drive up quality and encourage others to get involved.”

More information about the council’s apprenticeship hub can be found on

www.leicester.gov.uk/apprenticeshiphub

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