Press release -
UKITA speaking at Gold Standard Apprenticeship launch event on the 30th April 2013
·
UK IT Association has praised the Gold Standard apprenticeship for its good fit with the needs of small and medium-sized IT employers
· E-skills Gold Standard Apprenticeship is being rolled out nationally
· UK IT Association supports IT Apprenticeships as a means to close the IT skills gap
The UK IT Association (UKITA) will be speaking on the benefits for small and medium-sized IT employers of the Gold Standard apprenticeship scheme and the benefits for smaller enterprises of recruiting and developing new staff through apprenticeships.
Phil Oakley, a UKITA board member, will be representing UKITA at the Birmingham Breakfast Networking Event at the NITP centre on Tuesday 30th April. The event is aimed at encouraging local businesses within the West Midlands to help close the IT skills gap by taking on an apprentice.
The event is being run by the National Skills Academy and in
addition to UKITA there will be talks from NITP, who run the Gold Standard Apprenticeship,
and BT, who were among the first beneficiaries of the Gold Standard
Apprenticeship which was launched by E-skills in 2012. BT is also responsible for verifying the delivery standards for the scheme.
UKITA provided representation for the UK IT sector's small and medium sized businesses during the consultation for the creation of the Gold Standard Apprenticeship. Because the GSA has been created specifically with the needs of IT SMEs in mind it allows the apprentice to settle into the workplace and start becoming productive much sooner than in traditional apprenticeships.
To date over 200 apprentices have joined 173 employers nationwide and UKITA is recommending the initiative after positive results from the first cohort revealed that 93% of the apprentices went to work in SMEs.
The Birmingham Breakfast Networking Event is taking place from 7.30am on Tuesday 30th April 2013 at NITP Birmingham, Floor 2, Cornwall House, Lionel Street, Birmingham. There will be tea, coffee and pastries and a chance to network with other employers who already have, or are thinking of, employing an IT apprentice.
To book your place click here.
For more information about UK IT Association initiatives or for the latest news on the UK IT SME sector connect with UKITA.
Related links
Topics
- Business enterprise, General
Categories
- ukita
- information technology
- gold standard apprenticeship
- it apprenticeship
- it training
- it skills gap
- ukita in action
- phil oakley
- nitp
- e-skills
- west midlands
Regions
- England
About UK IT Association
The UK IT Association (UKITA) is a not-for-profit business support and Trade Association. It is a member of the Trade Association Forum which was established by the CBI.
UKITA has links with Universities, Further Education colleges and maintains a relationship with the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills.
It also owns and operates the Skillfair consultants and business advisers membership organisation and tender-sourcing service.
UKITA is a founder member and currently holds the presidency of PIN-SME (www.pin-sme.eu) which unites IT SME organisations in other EU countries and speaks for the sector at EU commission level.
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