Employers look to apprentices as they emerge from COVID.

The New Year has started with much chaos. Another lockdown, furlough, schools closed and exams cancelled. Listening to some of the media interviews over the last number of days, there has been an emerging sense of hopes dashed, people concerned about their future and feeling they are no longer in control.

While there are many things we can’t do at the moment, there is still much we can do.

On the 18th January, 60 employers will start their search for apprentices through Workplus. Workplus was borne out of a desire to offer people the opportunity to continue their education and embark on a professional pathway through employer-led apprenticeships. It’s about having a career and furthering your education.

We have created an approach that is able to help people transition into apprenticeships, regardless of cancelled exams, school closures or redundancy. It’s not just about grades, it’s about the applicant. Our aptitude testing allows people to bring their truest self to the table and helps employers look beyond scores to see the person, what makes them tick, their strengths and abilities.

An apprenticeship is a job from the start and lifelong education. It’s the purest form of collaboration between individual, employer, government and training provider.

And so, with apprenticeships, futures aren’t stalled, opportunities aren’t diminished, and ambitions and aspirations don’t all rise and fall on whether or not exams go ahead.

Resilience is a word often used, particularly since the pandemic. I’m a civil engineer by background and in infrastructure, resilience means the ability to absorb or avoid damage and remain intact. And resilience was always calculated through stress… will this building withstand an earthquake? Will this river withstand a 1 in 100 year storm? Designs were created with resilience in mind. To help us in the day no-one hoped would come, but everyone knew just might.

2020 brought many challenges in terms of education, employment and the economy. However, even in such challenging days, there has been a clear will to continue to develop apprenticeships in Northern Ireland.

School leavers and those wishing to retrain can take heart – there are employers across Northern Ireland who are working hard to create and build an apprenticeship culture. It was Albert Einstein who said, “In the midst of difficulty lies opportunity” – and who could argue with him?!

If you're an employer that wants to be involved in our 2021 apprentice campaign, register your opportunities through our unique platform by Wednesday 13 January.