Business Hub

Cheltenham’s Economic Recovery Task Force, the public-private leadership body formed to spearhead Cheltenham’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic, has today launched a new survey targeting employers in the town with the aim of understanding perceptions and attitudes towards apprenticeships and how they can support business recovery in the town.

Gloucestershire College is delighted to be the first college in England to offer a degree apprenticeship recognised by the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) – a part of GCHQ, for delivering quality education and training. The Integrated Degree Apprenticeship in Cyber Security, delivered in partnership with the University of the West of England (UWE Bristol), has been awarded provisional certification by the UK’s cyber experts, in the latest round of its certified degree initiative. Read more here.

Local businesses have answered the call to action from Gloucestershire College to provide almost 200 Kickstart Scheme placements for young people across the county. Successful placements are underway but more employers are still encouraged to step forward. Gloucestershire College is looking for businesses of all sizes and sectors to provide six-month work placements for young people aged 16-24-years-old. The government will cover the wage and expenses associated with providing the placement, all employers have to do is provide the opportunity. Read more here.

Scale Up 4 Growth has received an astonishing number of applications for the scheme designed to help businesses grow. The impact of the pandemic and the rise of start-up businesses during lockdown means the demand for funding grants like Scale Up 4 Growth is higher than ever. Find out more here.

Gloucestershire College proudly partners with Trelleborg Sealing Solutions as their apprenticeship training provider. We caught up with Tony Collingwood, General Manager at Trelleborg Sealing Solutions Tewkesbury to find out why HR apprenticeships have formed an essential part of their business. Read more here.

Gloucestershire College is a proud champion of apprenticeships. To celebrate National Apprenticeship Week 2021, we are showcasing success stories from our amazing apprentices and employers. David Auker-Howlett, Apprentice Master at Bloor Homes shared with us how their apprenticeship programme works, and the continued success of their apprentices, even during a pandemic. Read more

HPR Services LTD has grown and developed since they started trading five years ago. The original business model had apprenticeships right at the core of their organisation and this still remains the case today. Through investing in their workforce, HPR has been able to successfully expand with a team of loyal and dedicated employees, many of which have completed apprenticeships to upskill and train. Read more here.

Through embedding a culture of continual professional development within your organisation, both your employees and your business will benefit. Find out more from Jon Wood, Operations Director at WestRock Tewkesbury, who explains why apprenticeships form a crucial part of their business. Find out more here.

Congratulations to Marcus Evans, Charlie Lodge, Eleanor Brisland, Oliver Tutton and Ezra Price who were awarded the Runners Up Prize in the national Engineering For People Design Challenge 2021. Read more here.

Congratulations to Leanne Finch who is a finalist the 2021 South West Business and Community Awards, nominated for ‘Apprentice of the Year.’ Leanne won the award in 2020 and is back for a second year to reclaim her title. We caught up with Leanne to congratulate her on this amazing achievement.

We spoke to Morgan about what day to day life is like as a Level 3 Infrastructure Technician Apprentice with Gloucestershire College working at Integra Schools. If you're thinking about pursuing a career in IT, an apprenticeship is a great route to train and gain hands on experience. Find out more below.

Gloucestershire College proudly works with Tree Shop to train their new Digital Marketing Apprentice, Daniel. Tree Shop, based in the Forest of Dean, is a successful online business producing thousands of orders every year. Owners John and Walter Davis have great ambitions for the business and welcomed Daniel to their team in November 2020 with an exciting job role combining a love of the outdoors and nature with the technical skills of digital marketing. We caught up with Daniel to find out how his apprenticeship is going so far. Read more here.