National Apprenticeship Week is currently taking place from February 7 – 13, 2022, and the Joint Industry Board (JIB) is just one of the many industry groups getting involved in the festivities.
The Joint Industry Board has been a long-time supporter of apprenticeships, with the group taking advantage of this week’s festivities to highlight the reasons why an apprenticeship is the preferred route into the electrical industry.
In England, apprenticeship funding is available for all ages, and the JIB has long promoted the benefits of apprenticeships as being one of the core ways the industry can bring through the next generation of skilled tradespeople and equip them with the necessary skills, knowledge, experience and behaviours. This is why the JIB works with more than 60 apprenticeship and training providers to register apprentices under industry recognised frameworks for training and promotion of career progression and employment standards for those in training.
Alongside traineeships, experienced worker assessment routes and qualification frameworks, apprenticeships represent one of the main ways people achieve skilled status in their occupation and the award of an ECS gold card. An ECS apprentice card is a reflection that a person is on that route to a gold card and is building their valuable skills and knowledge, and so employers and clients can readily identify those who will need additional supervision to begin with.
Jay Parmar, JIB Chief Executive, commented, “If you’re looking for a career in the electrical industry the JIB recommends an apprenticeship. You’ll earn while you learn and train to industry standards, building your skills and knowledge over time.
“The JIB regularly works with the Department for Education, Institute for Apprenticeships and Further Education, trade associations, unions, awarding organisations and employer groups to ensure the content of apprenticeships is right for industry need and that new training routes, like T Levels, map into the apprenticeship programmes so that people are put on the right career path at the start of their career in the industry.”