Employers connect about UON Apprenticeships

Business leaders and academics came together at University of Northampton (UON) to explore the many possibilities apprenticeships offer.

Apprenticeships combine theoretical learning and practical work experience through the apprentice’s employer.

The University runs several Apprenticeship routes toward a degree and from September this year, several new programmes will start, including those in accounting and finance, manufacturing engineering and podiatry.

Last week (Thursday 24 April), the University held an event to introduce local employers to academics and established UON business partners who outlined the benefits apprenticeships can bring to an organisation.

More than 40 business representatives turned up, including Patrick Boulton, Senior Technical and Certification Engineer at the British Institute of Non-Destructive Testing (BINDT) with Rebecca Mulholland, the Institute’s Outreach Coordinator.

Non-destructive testing (NDT) is a fundamental part of the modern world, ensuring everything we use day-to-day – from the food we eat to public infrastructure – is safe.

The Institute’s corporate headquarters is just the other side of Bedford Road, putting the University in a great position to collaborate with them.

Rebecca and Patrick during a brief quiet spell at Employers Connect.

Patrick works with other technical engineers to run the Institute’s certification, training and apprenticeship development schemes. Ten students were about to start their Non-Destructive Technology course at UON after securing apprenticeships with Rolls Royce. He said: “Apprenticeships are all about new development and pushing the boundaries between what we don’t know today, but we might know tomorrow.

“We have a lot of PhD students already working with employers, which is why we came to the event, to interact and talk to other organisations about the specifics they need to solve a real-world problem.”

Rebecca, no stranger to UON as a graduate in Child and Adolescence Mental Health, added: “As an Institute, we work quite closely with the University. Our collaboration is very important – it helps us establish relationships, build bridges, and solve problems. The campus has fantastic, modern facilities, it’s easy to get to and navigate around and the staff are friendly.

“Just as important is helping businesses and employers onboard the right people with the necessary skills and appropriate competencies to make their businesses run smoothly and efficiently.  Together with the University, we are producing those right people who will be the engineers of the future.”

Simon Longhurst, UON’s Apprenticeships Manager, was behind the event. He says: “Waterside is used to being abuzz with discovery and learning, but last week saw this extended to those who hire for local and regional businesses rather than students.

“Apprenticeships benefit employers in many ways, supporting them to develop a skilled and motivated workforce and boost their productivity and competitiveness. It’s a win-win for all involved and it was great to see how much everyone got from our Employers Connect event. We look forward to continuing our conversations with attendees over the coming weeks and months about how our established and emerging Apprenticeships can help them.”

Find out more about our Apprenticeships on our website.