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Celebrating National Apprenticeship Week 2025

News
Ashley Wilkins
07 Feb 2025

National Apprenticeship Week aims to raise awareness of the many benefits apprenticeships can offer you. This year’s theme “Skills for Life” focuses on the lifelong skills and experience you can gain from partaking in an apprenticeship scheme.

During National Apprenticeship Week 2025, YPO is celebrating helping more than 2,560 people on their career path.

We launched our Apprenticeship Framework in 2018 and in its first five years we delivered more than 1,660 apprenticeship contracts across the public sector*. That total has increased by more than half following a year of unprecedented success.

The framework is supported by 258 providers across the UK and offers 279 apprenticeship standards to public sector organisations. New providers are given the opportunity to join each quarter, while existing providers can add to their offering at any time, broadening the choice for customers.

During the past 14 years, more than 100 people have started their apprentice journey at YPO and since 2018 we've supported 58 of them using our own framework.

The available standards are compliant with the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education (IfATE). Standards covered include a range of roles across blue light services, teaching, social care, healthcare, sustainability, IT and corporate responsibility.

Apprenticeships bring key social value benefits to the procurement journey. They help local communities by identifying skills gaps, target unemployment and bring opportunities to people who are looking at a new career path in a new sector.

YPO’s framework offers national coverage across 11 regions, with support from a wide variety of providers, 131 of them small to medium sized enterprises.

Agnieszka Gajli, Strategic Procurement Manager at YPO, said: “YPO understands the importance of supporting and working with smaller businesses as well as larger ones, who all have a key role in working with us to deliver the solution.

“Since the launch of the apprenticeship framework in 2018, there have been many changes to how apprenticeship levy funding is used. Throughout this period, we’ve helped employers in the public sector understand how they use this resource to its full potential.

“The result has been the creation of invaluable opportunities for those entering the industry, as well as support for valuable upskilling across a range of existing jobs.”

YPO ensures the framework supports customers with their social value goals, working closely with the supply base through the delivery of the apprenticeship. Within 2023, a total of 56 learners achieved the Teacher Level 6 apprenticeship, 53 learners achieved the Teaching Assistant Level 3 apprenticeship and 128 learners attained their adult care support worker apprenticeship.*

The apprenticeship levy is paid by employers in both public and private sectors who have a payroll of more than £3 million. It is designed to help companies offer more apprenticeships and training opportunities.

* Calculated from YPO direct award data - where a contracting authority carries out an assessment on the criteria set in the YPO framework documentation to decide which provider they would like to award a call-off to.

To learn more about our Apprenticeships and Associated Training framework (1086) click here.

Ashley Wilkins YPO

Author

Ashley Wilkins

PR and Communications Officer for Public Sector

YPO

Ashley is a PR and Communications officer for the public sector side of the organisation. This involves supporting communications to local authorities, emergency services, housing, NHS and the wider public sector. Ashley is responsible for assisting with PR and media relations, stakeholder communications and public affairs, content strategy and creation, research, as well as corporate comms such as strategic partnerships, sponsorship, events, awards and delivering the annual report.