Apprenticeships for Business: Opportunities, Barriers & Impact

To mark National Apprenticeship Week (9–13 February), Mediacity Immersive Technologies Innovation Hub is bringing together businesses, funders and training providers to explore how apprenticeships can work in practice for organisations across Salford and Greater Manchester.

With the UK Government committing to expand apprenticeship access and support for employers, more funding and routes are becoming available, but many businesses still face real barriers:

• How do you find the right candidate?
• Which providers should you trust?
• What roles actually work well as apprenticeships?
• And how do you make the case internally?

This session is designed for:

✔ Businesses already using apprenticeships

✔ Businesses considering them for the first time

✔ Businesses that tried before, and hit obstacles

We’ll unpack what’s working, what’s not, and how organisations can confidently adopt apprenticeships in ways that benefit both their teams and young people entering the workforce.

This is a working lunch built around practical insights and honest discussion.

• Training providers

• Local authority funders

• Universities and colleges

• Small businesses with real apprenticeship experience

• What apprenticeship funding is actually available?

• Which roles and routes work best for SMEs?

• How providers support employers.

• What mistakes to avoid.

• Share your successes - what has succeeded?
• Which roles/courses and training providers have worked well?
• What are your barriers to taking on apprentices?
• How have you made the case internally – what has worked, or not?
• What are the challenges to finding the right candidates?
• What can business leaders, training providers, the Council, GMCA, or others do to increase the opportunities for young people?

Nationally, the government is expanding access to apprenticeships and reforming skills pathways, but uptake among micro and small businesses remains uneven.

Research shows that many SMEs want to hire apprentices but are held back by:

• Complexity

• Uncertainty

• Time pressures

• Lack of guidance

This event is about closing that gap by putting employers, funders and educators in the same room and working through it together.

If you’re interested in developing future talent, strengthening your workforce, or supporting young people into skilled work, this session is for you.

Register now to secure your place

Know what’s Happening Next — before everyone else does.

Get App

Host or Publisher MediaCity Immersive Technologies Innovation Hub