Our Blog

Apprentices
14 May 2021

My Apprenticeship Journey - Grace - Senior Mechanical Design Engineer

This week, we chat to ex-ETT apprentice Grace Munday, Senior Mechanical Design Engineer. She talks about why she chose to do an apprenticeship, her journey through the programme ...

Employers
22 April 2021

Apprenticeship Incentives, Funding and Other Costs

The funding and rules surrounding Apprenticeships can be confusing however, they are cost effective and allow you to train people specific to your business needs. The funding and ...

Apprentices
1 April 2021

My Apprenticeship Journey - Magdalena Kot - Maintenance Engineer

This week we chat to Magdalena Kot, an apprentice at Fiddes Payne.

Apprentices
18 March 2021

Applying and Interviewing for an Apprenticeship

Securing employment as an apprentice is the same as going for any other job. It is a competitive process within which an employer will see a number of ...

Employers
2 March 2021

UP TO £4k INCENTIVE TO HIRE AN APPRENTICE. IS 2021 THE YEAR TO TAKE SOMEONE ON?

From April, the incentives, which have been in place since August 2020, will become more generous with a £3,000 payment per new hire, regardless of the apprentice’s age. ...

Apprentices
24 February 2021

Applying for an Apprenticeship - why, when, how

Our mission is to help you find the ideal apprenticeship and our recruitment process is designed to understand you, your motivations, your capabilities and try to match you ...

Apprentices
18 February 2021

My Apprenticeship Journey – Elizabeth Seal – Mechanical Designer

This week, we chat to ex-ETT apprentice Elizabeth Seal. She talks about why she chose to do an apprenticeship, her journey through the programme and how her learning ...

Apprentices
7 February 2021

Ask An Apprentice

The 14th annual week-long celebration of apprenticeships takes place across England and showcases the impact that apprenticeships can have. There are virtual events, webinars and information available every ...

Employers
7 February 2021

Ask An Employer

Apprentices
3 February 2021

February

This is a busy month for ETT and apprenticeships. Find out more about National Apprenticeship Week 2021 and the launch of our Awards.

Apprentices
22 January 2021

Starting an apprenticeship straight from school

We’ve let one or our apprentices take over this blog this week and tell us about his experience of making the move from school to an apprenticeship at ...

Apprentices
14 January 2021

Inspiration as to where an Apprenticeship can take you

This week, we chat to ex-ETT apprentice Lydia Feasey. She talks about why she chose to do an apprenticeship, her journey through the programme and how her career ...

Employers
21 December 2020

10 Things Employers Need to Know About Apprenticeships

Businesses that offer apprenticeships view them as beneficial to their long-term success. Whether using an apprenticeship to train an existing member of staff or hiring a new start ...

Apprentices
18 December 2020

My Apprenticeship Journey – Damian Wojtowicz – Apprentice Manufacturing Engineer

We spoke with Damian, a 2nd year apprentice working as a Manufacturing Engineer for Oxford Instruments, to find out about his route into an apprenticeship, what he does ...

Apprentices
11 December 2020

Off-the-job training but not off the clock

A common question from employers and apprentices is around the 20% off-the-job training that every apprenticeship standard must contain. We dive into what off-the-job training is plus highlight ...

Employers
25 November 2020

Progression within apprenticeships

How can employers use apprenticeships to progress both staff entering the business and those already employed? We hear from Sensor Technology about their apprentice who has learnt from ...

Employers
19 November 2020

How important is workplace training to your business – and your employees?

Is your business doing enough to keep hold of its brightest talent? Is your business doing enough to progress its long serving employees in order to keep them ...

Apprentices
10 November 2020

Annual Apprentice Awards

After putting it off for months, hoping to be able to hold our normal awards ceremony, we have the pleasure of announcing the winners of the ETT Awards 2019.

Apprentices
28 October 2020

Inspiration as to where an apprenticeship can take you.

This week, we chat to ex-ETT apprentice and Whitworth Scholar Dougie Hore. He talks about why he chose to do an apprenticeship, his journey through the programme and ...

Employers
19 October 2020

Taking on an apprentice for the first time

This week we talk to EWB Solutions who have just taken on their first apprentice. We also spoke with Adam who is that apprentice in order to find ...

Employers
12 October 2020

The Impending skill shortage in Engineering

A study carried out by The Engineering Construction Industry Training Board predicts by 2026, 91,000 engineers, nearly 20% of the current UK Engineering workforce, will have retired or ...

Employers
28 September 2020

All you need to know about the Kickstart Scheme

Find out all the information you need to know about the Kickstart Scheme, taking on a member of staff fully paid for by the Government and how you ...

Apprentices
24 September 2020

My Apprenticeship Journey – Daniel Larkin - Composite Technician

We spoke with Daniel, a 2nd year apprentice working as a Composite Technician for High Spec. Composites to tell us about his route into an apprenticeship and his ...

Apprentices
10 September 2020

Why, What, Who of Apprenticeships

This week we take a brief dive into why businesses take on apprentices, what businesses apprenticeships suit and who we generally work with. We also hear from Regan, ...

Employers
27 August 2020

Q&A with Beverly O’Farrell at FMB Oxford

This week we spoke with Beverly O’Farrell at FMB Oxford to find out a little more about them and their apprenticeship scheme. FMB Oxford has been bringing in ...

Employers
18 August 2020

Diversification - inspiration from a historic British manufacturing company

In this blog I look back at a great example of a business who found themselves struggling and used their ingenuity to find a way through.

Employers
10 August 2020

Taking the temperature of the businesses we work with

As we move out of lockdown I wanted to talk to some of our employers and find out how their businesses have been effected during the pandemic and ...

Employers
23 July 2020

Brief employer guide to costs, funding and incentives for Apprenticeship

Apprenticeships have been in the news recently following the Chancellors announcement of incentives to encourage employers to take on new apprentices. But as an employer do you really ...

Employers
16 July 2020

Incentive payments and using apprenticeships for existing staff

How to use apprenticeships whether you are recruiting new staff or not.

Apprentices
9 July 2020

My Apprenticeship Journey - Jack Forrest - Apprentice Engineer

We catch up with Jack Forrest, apprentice engineer at Chiltern Railways, as he nears the end of his apprenticeship, we thought it a good idea to find out ...

Apprentices
30 June 2020

My Apprenticeship Journey - Michael Everest - Systems Engineer

We asked Michael Everest one of our 4th year apprentice working as a Systems Engineer for Ultra Electronics to tell us about his route into an apprenticeship and ...

Apprentices
22 June 2020

Women in Engineering - Dr Kathryn Richards

We’re inspiring future engineers around the world through International Women in Engineering Day on 23 June.
We speak to Dr Kathryn Richards
Wind Tunnel Test Technician
Mercedes-AMG Petronas ...

Apprentices
22 June 2020

Women in Engineering - Jessica Monk

We’re proud to be taking part in and celebrating ‘International Women in Engineering Day’ on 23 June.
We speak to Jessica Monk
Manual machinist and RPS ...

Employers
17 June 2020

Using apprenticeships as CPD for your existing staff

How can apprenticeships be used for those businesses who are not in a position to take on additional staff?

Apprentices
11 June 2020

If you were an Engineer, what would you do?

We are very pleased to be a Regional Partner for the ‘If you were an engineer, what would you do?’ competition, known as the 'Leaders Award', an annual ...

Apprentices
8 June 2020

Your Apprenticeship Application Form

Your application form is incredibly important, as the content of the apprenticeship application form will usually be used towards assessing whether you have the right grades, skills and ...

Apprentices
1 June 2020

Why should you choose an engineering apprenticeship?

A very common question asked by young people is ‘why should I choose an engineering apprenticeship?’ When searching online you will find plenty of articles and blogs comparing ...

Employers
21 May 2020

Q&A with Sarah Jaycock of High Spec. Composites

For this week’s blog I sat down (virtually) with Sarah Jaycock, Executive Director at High Spec Composites to find out a little more about her business, the apprentices ...

Employers
14 May 2020

Stepping up our virtual learning capabilities

The Covid-19 pandemic has fundamentally changed the way in which we interact with our learners. With the current climate looking set to be with us for a ...

Apprentices
1 May 2020

Upgrading Lesley

Lesley is the diesel locomotive shunter based at the Chiltern Railways depot in Aylesbury. It was the thorn in the side of a busy maintenance department until Jack, ...

Apprentices
30 April 2020

Remote working during COVID 19 Lockdown

Remember the days when you were in work or driving around thinking ‘oh I wish I could work from home’. Well now, for the majority of people it ...

Employers
21 April 2020

Finding the right training provider

What to look for when finding a training provider. You might be looking to start an apprenticeship scheme, returning to one or reviewing your current arrangements. If so, ...

Employers
16 April 2020

Apprentice recruitment during Covid-19 and 3 online platforms that can help

The impact of coronavirus on businesses has been significant and there are several reasons why the subject of taking on apprentices isn’t exactly top of the agenda at ...

Apprentices
14 April 2020

Crush your next remote interview

We have been using telephone interviews to shortlist candidates for apprentice vacancies for many years and have heard candidates across the spectrum from brilliant to bad.

Employers
6 April 2020

Our move to a remote way of learning and assessment

There isn’t a business or organisation in this land (or the world) not affected by the Coronavirus pandemic. For some it will mean the end of the road, ...

Apprentices
6 April 2020

Top tips for engineering apprentices continuing their learning from home

These are challenging times for apprentices. Lets be honest, you probably didn’t think a month ago that you would be sat at home away from the work place… ...

Employers
2 April 2020

Mentoring an Apprentice – What is involved?

A key element to any apprenticeship is the company mentor. The guru, the talisman that will lead their Padawan (for all the Star Wars fans out there) through ...

Employers
2 April 2020

All you need to know about the Apprenticeship Levy

In 2017 the government introduced the apprenticeship levy, a compulsory tax on employers to help fund the development and delivery of apprenticeships, with the aim of improving the ...

Employers
2 April 2020

Taking on an Apprentice - Top 10 questions and answers for employers

For many years, apprenticeships have been the lifeblood of the Engineering and Manufacturing sector. They are a vital part in ensuring businesses have the skilled workforce required to ...

Apprentices
2 April 2020

My Apprenticeship Journey - Philip - Tooling & Design Engineer

We sat down with Philip, one of our 4th year apprentices who is about to complete his programme to find out about his journey into and through an ...

Employers
30 March 2020

The benefits of taking on an apprentice

With the introduction of the Apprenticeship levy in 2017, more and more businesses across Oxfordshire and across the country are looking to apprenticeships as a way of bringing ...