Andy Benson, apprenticeship delivery manager at Bupa UK, discusses how apprenticeships are reshaping the workforce by building resilience and lifelong learning.
Apprentices worked with the AI and innovation team to learn about agentic AI and were tasked with designing and building their own AI agents.
The 900 new apprenticeships are spread across three academies, with 300 people to train each year.
The move aims to support the Government’s early years workforce plans and meet rising demand for childcare staff.
Over 600 senior decision makers took part, with 76% saying apprenticeships were important and 33% calling them critical for closing skills gaps.
VodafoneThree apprenticeships are open to people at all stages, including school leavers, career changers and those wanting new skills.
Paul Ward said: “This pledge underlines our commitment as a University to maximising skills and employment opportunities for local people in Salford and Greater Manchester.”
The Academy is a four-year higher level apprenticeship programme, combining university-level study with paid employment in a Northern Ireland food and drink business.
There were 1,699 apprenticeship starts in the last academic year, with another 1,824 people upskilling through further courses.
Rivervale has used National Apprenticeship Week 2026 to highlight how apprenticeships can deliver long-term careers, sharing its experience of supporting a marketing apprentice within a small, fast-moving team.
Announced last year, the Level Four NHOPOA trains recruits in the National Police Firearms Training Curriculum.