The second annual Apprenticeship Week will take place across England from Monday 23 February to Friday 27 February 2009.
Apprenticeship Week is an opportunity to celebrate and recognise the essential role that Apprenticeships are playing in today's business world, ensuring that the workforce has the skills it needs in order to remain competitive, even in difficult economic circumstances. Apprenticeship Week 2009 is the chance for employers to share the many benefits that Apprenticeships are delivering on a daily basis for their businesses and demonstrate that apprentices "Make Things Happen".
Funded by the Learning and Skills Council, League Football Education is a partnership between the Football League and the PFA. LFE is currently responsible for the management of Apprenticeship in Sporting Excellence (ASE) programmes across Football League clubs.
The ASE programme is specifically designed to support Apprentices in relation to their football development, however it is also there to provide them with transferable skills that will assist them within football, or as and when they move on to alternative careers. Now embraced by a number of other sports including Rugby Union, Swimming, Golf and Cricket the ASE programme has real value and importance for Government as a way of highlighting best practice within Apprenticeships.
The ASE scheme involves 16 to 18 year old footballers doing a football specific NVQ, a level 2 football coaching qualification, a college course related to elite sport and key skills in numeracy and literacy. This is all designed to compliment the technical development work being carried out by the football coaching staff to produce a skilled and educated youth group. The success of the scheme has gone from strength to strength, 88% of Football League Apprentices achieved the full framework of qualifications last season.
Notable successes have included Mark Beevers (Sheffield Wednesday) Joe Mills & Matthew Paterson (Southampton), Terry Gornell (Tranmere Rovers), Ryan Bennett (Grimsby Town) and Joe Mattock (Leicester City) while other graduates from the scheme play throughout The Football League with some, like Chris Gunter (ex Cardiff City), having moved to Premier League clubs.
Others pursue university educations in subjects including biology and physics, while some move into employment in careers such as Physiotherapy, the Fire Service and the Armed Forces but whatever route they take the Apprenticeship they have followed provides them with transferable skills for life.
The message is clear: Apprenticeships are good for business, supplying employers with the skills they need, when they need them: "Apprentices Make Things Happen".
Throughout Apprenticeship Week, events and awareness raising activities are going to roll-out across the country, so if you are interested as either an employer or parent of a potential Apprentice then please visit www.apprentices.org.uk.
If you would like to know more about the work of the LFE, or to keep up to date with the Apprentices at your club visit www.lfe.org.uk , the club's programme and website.
