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At just 20 years old, degree apprentice, Tom Amer has an enviable employment history and professional experience. Two years into his four-year apprenticeship programme, Tom has delivered million-pound savings to his employer, taught hundreds of young people to code, and been flown to New York to talk about it.

Covid-19 has had a huge impact on the employment prospects for young people. In fact, research shows that it’s young people who have been most hard hit by the pandemic and whose work opportunities are likely to be most affected going forward as the economic fallout continues

UK organisations anticipate that it will take 18 months to fully recover from the disruption of the coronavirus pandemic and subsequent social distancing measures, with small businesses leading the way back to “normal”.

As the logistics and transport industry is rising to the challenge of coronavirus with flexibility and resilience, it seems apt that the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport opted to move its annual conference online this year.

The Open University has been training practising social workers for over twenty years. 250 social workers qualify with the OU each year, a total of 6,400 social workers since 1997

Dr Mercia Spare has an inspiring career story to tell. Having left school with one CSE and college without any A-levels, she started her working life in a series of low paid industry jobs. Those jobs were okay but she knew that she wanted more from work. She wanted a job where she was caring for people, where she was making people’s lives better. She knew she wanted to be a nurse. “Nursing was my pathway,” she says.

The Open University (OU) is working with Kent Community Health NHS Foundation Trust (KCHFT) to develop the local nursing workforce. Through the OU’s Registered Nurse Degree Apprenticeship and Nursing Associate Higher Apprenticeship, the Trust is able to grow its own talent with its new, innovative Nursing Academy. This allows apprentices to earn while they learn and study towards registered nursing roles.

The Open University is delivering a Graduate Apprenticeship in Cyber Security to eight Capgemini employees in Inverness. The Graduate Apprenticeship has been designed so that employees who have already completed a relevant MA will be fast-tracked through the programme.

Find out how The Open University’s English and maths (functional skills) provision opens doors to higher and degree apprenticeships.