Phil Stittle is the Executive Director for Business Development Strategic Growth and Partnerships at West Suffolk College. He was born in Bury and has lived and worked here for the majority of his life. One of his key roles is to support and work with businesses and individuals in everything related to Apprenticeships. With a campaign to promote these qualifications called National Apprenticeship Week being just around the corner, here Phil explains why they are so crucial to the College, the county and the country.
My dad was a former student of the College as was my mum. I’ve worked here for many years and now my son is going to study here in September. Suffice to say, this place means a great deal to me.
Apprenticeship qualifications also mean a great deal to me and I’ve worked either as one or supporting them for over 20 years.
When I arrived back at the College in 2016, we had around 350 to 400 people who were benefitting from the Apprenticeship route.
Today, thanks to the vision of my colleague Laraine Moody and our amazing team, we now work with hundreds of businesses and support around 1800 apprentices.
For those who haven’t engaged with them yet – my message is simple – find out more.
In a nutshell though, if you are a student aged 16 or over, they are a great way to learn, develop skills and grow your career with a company - and progress into higher roles or further study.
If you are an employer and you may have struggled with recruitment recently why not change your approach and get involved with Apprenticeships. There are no age limits to starting an Apprenticeship and we have recently found more mature learners have come to us in search of a career change.
People like Spencer Pettitt who gained a sports science degree but felt unfulfilled with this industry. So, he retrained with us on a construction course and was crowned the best carpentry apprentice in the land by the Institute of Carpentry at the end of last year.
Growing up in East Anglia, I really think that because of our farming heritage, getting up early and working hard is in our genes. I think that Apprenticeships exemplify that very spirit. You have to work, learn and study hard – but if you do – then a bumper harvest is there for the taking.
As a College, I think that the National Apprenticeship Week is vitally important to showcase these fantastic programmes to everyone far and wide. It helps shines a light on the businesses and employees who have been successful because of their involvement in these programmes.
Last year, we created a brochure that championed everyone who we have supported via Apprenticeships – particularly sending heartfelt thanks to the people and industries like the NHS who helped us all through Covid.
We wanted to recognise outstanding apprentices in every occupational area that we offer, and whilst Covid still remains, this year we wanted to go one bigger than a brochure.
Therefore, we will be hosting a socially distanced awards ceremony at our in house restaurant called Edmunds, where talented individuals and businesses will be honoured.
Reading some of the winners entries, it’s clear that many of these apprentices have gone on and become major figures at the companies where they work – so it will be a special night to be able to celebrate their achievements and successes.
I’m very proud to work for West Suffolk College. It’s a great institution where supporting the community is at the heart of everything we do.
Via these courses, we have learners and businesses based in Suffolk, Norfolk, Essex and more further afield such as Bristol, Manchester and Newcastle.
We really are flying the flag for Apprenticeships.
If you’re helping us fly the flag already - then thank you. If you would like to join us at the flagpole - then get in touch - we would love to hear from you.