Collective Members support apprentice team of the year search

Campaign Collective Members have been supporting Brathay Trust and the Skills Funding Agency, organisers of the Brathay Apprentice Challenge – the search for the apprentice team of the year.

Nine apprentices from the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) were  named the country’s apprentice team of the year, following a testing five-month Challenge that saw them compete against teams from the country’s leading apprentice employers and training providers.

As part of the 2016 campaign, teams used toolkits created by Collective Members to reach out to young people to discuss apprenticeships and recruited over 400 new employers to offer apprenticeships as part of the Challenge.

The Logistical and Teambuilding Finale held at Brathay Trust’s headquarters tested the teams individual and group strength, both mentally and physically, and developed their leadership, team building and communication skills. Collective Members were onsite for the final stages, providing branding and logistical support as well as securing media coverage and delivering social media content, including live Periscope commentaries, from the event.

UKAEA narrowly beat HMRC Digital Newcastle into second place and HSBC who finished third. Teams from Apprenticeships Norfolk Network, Hampshire County Council, HMRC Surge and Rapid Repsonse, IBM and QinetiQ also competed in the National Finals.

The eight finalists were selected from 80 teams and 700 apprentices who entered the Challenge. Since February, the teams have worked hard to spread the word about apprenticeships and have visited nearly 400 schools, careers fairs and youth groups to encourage young people to consider an apprenticeship. The apprentice teams have also reached out to their local communities and delivered 45 community projects to benefit young people.

Sarah Colombini, Campaign Collective Founder Member, said:

Winning the apprentice team of the year title is a huge deal for the apprentices from UKAEA. But all of the apprentices that took part were an inspiration in terms of the dedication they showed to the Challenge and to their employers.

Delivering so many new employers to offer apprenticeships – as well as the high levels of media and social media coverage for the event – show just how worthwhile the Challenge is to the future of apprenticeships as well as the future of the competitors themselves.