Training provider AS Training is to host a ‘graduation’ ceremony to reward and recognise travel agency apprentices in the sector.
The Apprentice Awards Celebration, planned for this October, will acknowledge the achievements of around 50 to 60 apprentices who have qualified under AS Training in the last six to nine months.
Ten awards will also be handed out to ‘stand out’ apprentices for their accomplishments to date and to recognise those with strong future prospects in the industry.
It will be the first such awards ceremony run by the company, which has apprentices employed at agencies including Barrhead Travel, Fred Olsen Travel, Dawson and Sanderson and Sunlounger Travel.
AS Training managing director Michelle Van Sprang (pictured, right, with Dawson & Sanderson apprentices) came up with the idea for an event to recognise the efforts of apprentices in the same way university students attend a graduation ceremony.
She said: “We want apprentices to feel valued and it will be fantastic to celebrate their success and their qualifications through their apprenticeship journey. I am so proud of them.”
She added: “This will also go a long way to encourage those finishing school to find out about our industry.”
Apprentices, who receive a certificate from the Department of Education for completing their apprenticeship, will receive a cap and gown to wear on the day and will be roll called to the stage during the ceremony.
Travel industry leaders will also be invited to give presentations on the day on how they attained success in the sector to inspire the apprentices for the next stage of their career journey.
The event will be sponsored by Gold Medal and Jet2holidays. Both operators help fund apprenticeships in Scotland and England respectively through levy funding from government. The event will be held at Gold Medal’s head office in Leyland in Lancashire.
This year AS Training anticipates it will have between 200 and 250 apprentices in the sector, up from around 50 to 60 when it launched travel apprenticeships four years ago. Of the company’s apprentices, 96.5% are offered full time positions in the industry once qualified.
Van Sprang added that the take up of apprenticeships was on the rise in the travel sector following a change in employers’ perceptions in recent years and increased promotion and popularity of travel apprenticeships among school leavers.