Vic Grimes, divisional apprenticeship director for NAS in London and the South East, told providers about the service at an event in North West London on Tuesday.

He said it was “not far off” and would list apprenticeship availabilities.

It comes in response to a recommendation from businessman Jason Holt in his independent review into apprenticeships last year.

The online facility was revealed by Mr Grimes at training provider JGA Group’s Spring Team Forum in response to local teacher Peter Smith during a question and answer session.

“I have great difficulties finding a link to all providers borough-by-borough that I could direct my youngsters to finding an apprenticeship,” said Mr Smith.

“Youngsters do not have that information readily at hand and really need it.”

Mr Grimes said: “I totally agree with you.

“The Holt Review aimed to make apprenticeships more accessible to small businesses and one of its recommendations was to develop exactly the tool you’re talking about so employers can go online and search for a high-quality provider that meets the needs of their business.

“We’re not far off launching that product now.”

The gathering at JGA’s Eastcote base included words from Nick Hurd MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Charities, Social Enterprise and Volunteering at the Cabinet Office, as well as workshops offering guests the chance to discuss issues from Ofsted inspections to information, advice and guidance.

Mr Hurd, Conservative, Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner, said: “As a country we haven’t taken apprenticeships seriously enough, but I think that is changing. The essential thing to get right is that they work for the employer.”

And Mr Grimes told an audience of around 100 that the Coalition had “huge ambitions” for apprenticeships.

“In 2013/14 we’re aiming to go beyond the 500,000 all-age apprenticeship starts we delivered last year, to 520,000,” he said.

“It’s very true to say apprenticeships are at the centre of the Coalition’s economic growth strategy.

“Over the next 10 years we want to support 3.8m apprenticeships through their programme and that will bring a return to the British economy of £3.4bn. Just how powerful is that?”

Last year 500,000 starts were delivered with 138,000 employers — across more than 280 sectors — recruiting apprentices and many for the first time, he said.

But there had been a downturn of 1,000 apprenticeship places this year because NAS had stripped out 1,000 “poor quality” placements. He urged delegates to report any concerns they had over this issue.

“We will not tolerate it,” he said.

“Young people deserve better than that — we want to hear from you because we will investigate every single case we hear of where poor quality might be happening.”

He also warned that the raising of the participation age to 17 in schools would make it harder for employers to recruit 16 to 18-year-olds.

“It’s incredibly important that we get through to parents, young people and teachers that apprenticeships is part of the requirement of raising the participation age. It’s not about retaining people in school,” he said.

“If an apprenticeship is good for a young person, they should be given the information and be able to access that pathway, regardless of being 16 to 18.”

JGA marketing apprentice Laurence George, 19, also spoke at the event, telling the forum about his route into a career.

“My story starts almost a year-and-a-half ago. I was half-way through sixth-form and realised I didn’t want to carry on in the classroom,” he said.

“I didn’t know what I was going to do and I realised university was not going to be an option for me.”

He said Job Centre Plus put him in touch with JGA who “sat him down” and found out his interests. They offered him a marketing apprenticeship which he said developed into an advanced apprenticeship that’s seen him organise events and manage projects.

“I feel really valued here and I definitely believe I made the right decision leaving the classroom and becoming an apprentice,” said Mr George.

“This view is shared by my family and friends who have really seen me grow as a person and become confident as a young man.”

The association did have the recommendation of a 0.5 per cent increase on the table when it met officials from the University and College Union (UCU), which is involved in negotiations with the Association of Managers in Education, the Association of Teachers and Lecturers, GMB, Unison and Unite.

The offer also included a £150 increase for those earning less than £15,000. The association negotiates on behalf of its members and makes recommendations on pay which member colleges consider but, as autonomous institutions, are not legally bound to follow.

The priority for our members is to continue to serve the needs of students and their local communities and, to achieve this, it is imperative that jobs are preserved

But talks ended in stalemate on Thursday, May 16, resulting in the association withdrawing its offer, which had been unanimously rejected by unions who wanted a 5 per cent rise.

It has refused to return to the table until the unions consider local discussions on conditions and pay.

The association’s director of employment policy and services, Emma Mason, said: “We removed the 0.5 per cent / £150 recommendation from the table in its entirety following the unions’ disappointing response to our proposals on the need for positive engagement in local discussions regarding the need for colleges to be responsive and proactive in the management of an ever-changing environment.

“The negotiations can proceed in June only if there is a willingness from the unions to engage meaningfully in these discussions.

“The 5 per cent pay claim from the unions would come with an approximate price tag of £200m which is unrealistic as the UK economy teeters on the brink of a triple dip recession.

“This, in addition to year-on-year cuts to government funding for colleges, is unaffordable for our members.

“The priority for our members is to continue to serve the needs of students and their local communities and, to achieve this, it is imperative that jobs are preserved.

“The employers have made it clear that any national recommendation on pay must recognise the very tight financial constraints within which our members are operating and support college strategies for organisational development and sustainability for the future.”

A statement from the UCU said local discussions would “give the employers more power to try and impose worse pay and conditions and move towards performance-related pay”.

Barry Lovejoy, UCU head of FE, said: “The employer’s action is unprecedented and places the whole national bargaining framework for colleges in jeopardy.

“The association now seems to want to throw pay as well as conditions back to local employers. By withdrawing this offer, they are risking a dispute that could be widespread and cause long-term disruption to colleges.

“For the sake of the sector, rather than taking their ball home, we urge employers to engage meaningfully in negotiation.”

Unison’s head of colleges, Christine Lewis, said: “It is sad that college employers are prepared to see the living standards of their staff fall even further and the Living Wage abandoned, over a statement that asks national negotiators to endorse local detriment for their members.

“We can only hope that colleges urge their negotiators back to the table.”

The interim report of the party’s skills taskforce — made up of Creative Leadership and Skills Ltd managing director Jacqui Henderson, South East Midlands Local Enterprise Partnership chair Dr Ann Limb and UnionLearn director Tom Wilson, among others — launched today.

Taskforce chair and Institute of Education director Professor Chris Husbands was at the launch, which took place at London’s Westminster Kingsway College.

He was joined by Shadow Education Secretary Stephen Twigg and Shadow Business Secretary Chuka Umunna, who said: “Our challenge is to ensure that the skills that people are getting from the non-academic route are aligned to, and keeping pace with, the changes that we see happening in business and industry.

“The world out there is changing at a pace that I don’t think any of us contemplated and one of the central recommendations in this interim report is to ensure that there is that better alignment, so that what is happening at places like this fantastic college is actually keeping pace with what is happening in the real economy and the real world.”

The 20-page report says “problems” include a damaging divide between vocational and academic education; and, low levels of employer involvement in the skills system.

Further problems it identifies are a fragmented education system; the need for a new vision for FE; lack of high quality apprenticeships; and, poor quality advice to navigate the transition between education and work.

“Although governments have often talked of the importance of skills, skills policy has in practice often been created in isolation from industrial policy, with too few connections between education and the labour market,” the report says.

It adds: “Almost every country struggles with the challenge of skills training: there are complexities in drawing together employers, training providers, schools, colleges and universities to create high quality progression pathways, and real challenges in responding to rapidly changing labour markets. We are confident that we must and can do better.”

The report was welcomed by Lynne Sedgmore, executive director of the 157 Group, who described it as “thoughtful”.

“We are pleased that the Labour Party has placed what is refers to as the ‘damaging divide between vocational and academic education’ at the heart of its thinking, as we have long argued that those who are successful in both work and life have a balance of theoretical and applied skill, and our education system should reflect this,” she said.

“Today’s report presents a vision where FE colleges, such as those represented by the 157 Group, remain central to the provision of education and training, and recognises the broad and extensive work going on in colleges to develop those in every part of society, including for young people, for those who are employed, and for those who are unemployed or in need of a career change.

“We applaud the report’s emphasis on the importance of further education for adults and for learning throughout life.”

Peter Roberts, chief executive of Leeds City College and chair of the 157 Group, said: “It is important that we concentrate energy on building and developing a system that already performs well for learners and employers.

“The focus in this report on guidance for young people to enable them to make the right decisions in their education is most welcome.

“The 157 Group looks forward to continuing to work closely with the taskforce as the ideas in this interim report are further refined.”

The damaging divide between vocational and academic education

“Successive governments have viewed vocational and academic education in silos, leading to a focus on the latter at the expense of the quality and status of the former.”

Low levels of employer involvement in the skills system

“Many of the problems outlined in this paper, including inadequate access to good work experience and high quality apprenticeships, the weak links between vocational qualifications and the labour market, and the mismatch between supply and demand at local level, stem from the failure to involve employers in the design and delivery of vocational training.”

A fragmented education system

“The focus on competition between schools, colleges and universities, rather than collaboration, and the lack of planned area-wide provision results in reduced opportunities for young people to study high quality vocational education and training alongside their core academic learning.”

The need for a new vision for FE

“A reinvigorated role for FE in the local economy, centred on the delivery of quality education and training to meet the needs of local industry and employers, would provide a significant boost to our skills system. To fulfil this role however, standards of teaching and learning in FE need to be improved.”

The lack of high quality apprenticeships

“Various government reviews — most recently the Richard Review — have highlighted that the apprenticeship ‘brand’ is at risk from the low standard of some apprenticeships, particularly those created in recent years. 

Poor quality advice to navigate the transition between education and work

“Too many vocational qualifications do not provide clear progression routes to work or further study … The need for quality, impartial advice and to equip young people with the tools to make the right choices throughout their education and into employment has therefore, arguably, never been greater.”

The former principal and chief executive of New College Nottingham and chair of the Information Authority, who was knighted for services to FE in the New Year Honours 2012, began his lecturing career in 1974.

Other previous roles include national director of the Further Education Funding Council (FEFC)/Learning and Skills Council (LSC), and director of education at Bexley London Borough.

Sir Geoff established the regional network for the FEFC and was involved in the formation of the LSC.

He will work with the guild steering group to develop a draft delivery plan for the new board, using a series of engagement events across the country next month to hear the views of sector leaders and practitioners.

He said: “I am delighted to have been appointed interim chief executive of the new guild.

“I have a strong belief that professional learning across the sector is key to our future success, and am keen to harness the talents of the sector itself.

“My priorities in these important early months for the new guild are to maintain the momentum generated by the steering group and project team, keep the sector fully involved in shaping the guild and ensure we build on successful programmes developed by Learning and Skills Improvement Service.”

David Hughes, chief executive of the National Institute of Adult Continuing Education (NIACE) and independent chair of the steering group appointed to develop the new organisation, said: “This announcement signals an important milestone for the guild.

“I am personally very pleased to have Sir Geoff on board because I know that he will bring enormous experience and understanding of the issues we want to address.

“He will be a great asset as we move forward to deliver to the ambitions we all share for professional staff and organisations delivering great learning, and I look forward to working with him.”

Sir Geoff will take up the position with immediate effect and is expected to hold the role until a permanent chief executive is appointed.

Lynne Sedgmore, executive director of the 157 Group, said: “We welcome the appointment of Sir Geoff, a founder member of the 157 Group, in this critical role.

“We are fully supportive of the next phase of the guild under his experienced and able leadership and look forward to working with him to make the guild highly successful.”

Peter Roberts, chief executive of Leeds City College and chair of the 157 Group, said: “As a former college principal and leader of the FEFC, Sir Geoff has extensive experience across our sector, ideal for his new role as chief executive of the sector-led and owned guild.

“We expect to see the guild take huge steps forward under his leadership.”

The survey showed the proportion of unemployed adults learning had fallen by six percentage points from 41 to 35 per cent since last year (highlighted below), the lowest level since the survey began in 1996.

It also showed a seven per cent fall in the proportion of young people aged 17 to 24 taking part in learning.

NIACE chief executive David Hughes (pictured) said: “Obviously for a survey like this all you get is bald statistics and you have to speculate as to why.

“This could be a sign that some unemployed young people and adults are becoming hopeless about their prospects to get proper, sustainable work, and think it’s not worth getting skills because they’ll never get jobs, even with skills, that will be fulfilling, rewarding and pay them enough to live well,” he said.

“I’m not saying I know the reasons for these figures, but if you start thinking about it, you paint a very worrying picture at the very least.”

Paul Warner, director of employment and skills at the Association of Employment and Learning Providers (AELP), agreed the drop in unemployed people learning was “concerning”.

“It’s why we support real flexibility within the adult skills budget for providers to offer skills training to the unemployed, despite the pressure on budgets,” he said.

“Providers across the country are making strenuous efforts to join up their skills and employability provision and it’s important that the funding system doesn’t discourage this.”

The AELP has previously expressed disappointment that traineeships would not be on offer to 19 to 24 year olds, arguing the programme could act as a stepping stone to lifelong learning.

Mr Hughes agreed there could be a benefit to extending traineeships to up to the age of 24, or even beyond.

“There are older adults, particularly in a position where they haven’t got much work experience or their job prospects are in a different sector to their previous experience, and it seems very logical to give them work experience in a sector where there are jobs,” he said.

“Used in a targeted way it could be quite powerful in helping them get motivated and to think about the skills they might need to think about getting a job in that sector.”

He added that enabling those on traineeships to receive benefits or wages would encourage them to access learning in this way.

The Association of Colleges (AoC) joined calls for traineeships to be extended to adults, but pointed out that its own survey, published in April, showed on average 82 per cent of colleges saw the number of unemployed students increase in 2011/12 and 75 per cent anticipated a further increase this year.

Julian Gravatt, AoC assistant chief executive, acknowledged the two surveys had been measuring different things, with NIACE taking account of self-supported, as well as government-funded learning.

“The fact that participation by unemployed people is down is probably a sign of the pressure they are now under to find work,” he said.

He said the AoC’s findings reflected colleges’ efforts to engage with and design programmes for the unemployed.

“Colleges are keen to do more for unemployed adults and look forward to the point where they can use traineeships for young adults to support these efforts,” he added.

Mr Hughes added the problem was not solely up to the government to solve.

He said: “We are also calling on employers to play their part in this.

“We genuinely think employers need to do more to offer and provide meaningful work experience and that’s going to be a major part of the solution.”

Graph caption: Participation in learning by employment status, 2013 – “Since 2012, there has been a substantial increase in the proportion of part-time workers who are taking part in learning (from 42% to 48%) while the proportion of unemployed adults learning has fallen from 41 to 35 per cent.”

Adult Learners’ Week has two main highlights for me. Firstly, the compelling stories we hear from award winners about how learning has enabled them to transform their lives.

Secondly, the findings of our annual survey on adult participation in learning which show, at a national level, what proportion of adults take part in learning, alongside details of who participates and who doesn’t.

I am particularly excited about the inspirational stories of the three learners who have won our Learning for Work Awards (supported this year by the National Open College Network).

Many nominees we heard from had left full-time education with a sense that learning was ‘not for them’, not enjoyable and not relevant to their lives.

Having returned to learning as an adult however, they have experienced the success and benefits, both at work and in their wider lives, and are hungry for more.

Each one of these stories illustrates what the survey tells us year after year — that the majority of adults who are engaged in learning plan to continue in the future.

Most people with little or no experience of learning as an adult have no intention of taking part.

The 2013 survey shows that around two-fifths of adults have taken part in learning in the previous three years, while a similar proportion have not done any learning since leaving full-time education.

This level of engagement is not evenly spread across the adult population. Participation is determined by a range of factors — age, employment status, social class and prior learning.

While this year’s survey shows no change in the overall levels of participation and little change in the patterns of participation from last year, two particular sets of figures do stand out. Firstly, while it is generally true that older people are less likely to be learning, the 2013 survey shows a surprising and substantial fall in the proportion of young adults taking part (a fall of 9 percentage points among those aged 17 to 19 and 5 percentage points among 20 to 24-year-olds).

In a climate of high levels of youth unemployment, these figures are of considerable concern.

Research shows that for young adults who are not in education, employment or training the impact can be devastating and can continue well into their adult lives.

Secondly, while the survey shows a welcome increase in participation among part-time workers (from 42 per cent to 48 per cent) there is a worrying decline among unemployed adults (from 41 per cent to 35 per cent).

A greater appetite for learning among part-time workers might reflect, in part, the growing number of ‘underemployed’ adults who are looking to improve their skills to enable them to take on further part-time employment or move to full-time employment. If this is the case, then it is will be important to ensure that relevant learning opportunities are offered on a flexible basis in order that they are accessible to adults who may have other substantial commitments.

Much more challenging though is the decline in participation of unemployed adults (to the lowest level since the survey series began in 1996).

Given the vital role that learning and skills play in helping unemployed adults to gain and progress in work — as outlined in NIACE’s recent publication The Work Programme: What’s the role of skills —this is of particular concern.

As is often the case with large quantitative surveys, the data provides us with as many questions as answers. We will be undertaking further analysis of the data, which we will publish later on in the year. Meanwhile we can only hope that those who think learning is not for them will be inspired by this year’s award winners and take the step towards a brighter future.

Fiona Aldridge, head of learning for work, National Institute of Adult Continuing Education

Dozens of adult learners enjoyed a touch of Hollywood glamour as they collected prizes at an annual awards bash in London.

Gillian Anderson, who played FBI special agent Dana Scully in The X-Files, dished out certificates at the City Lit ceremony.

She said: “I get asked to do a fair number of these sort of events throughout the year, but based on my schedule and a very real fear of public speaking, I generally respond with a polite ‘no’.

“But when I was asked if I would consider this event I started to look through the breakdown of what City Lit does and the lives that it impacts and I thought most certainly this was one event I should attend.

“And being here, hearing how City Lit has extended opportunities to people, I’m overwhelmed — it’s an extraordinary gift to the community.”

More than 30 awards were handed over, including two special presentations to two ‘outstanding learners’ picked by the national Adult Learners’ Week judging panel.

Learning for adults can and does change lives for the better”

One of these winners was 45-year-old Usman Choudhry, who has overcome a stammer having taken a number of speech therapy courses.

“Since attending courses in areas such as assertiveness and public speaking, I have helped set up a public speaking group aimed at stammerers, arranged an awareness-raising course for staff at the bank, raised money for the British Stammering Association, and helped organise their London open day in 2012,” he said.

“With the help of my fellow City Lit students, we have given people who stammer the confidence to speak out and be heard.”

Rachel Everard, City Lit speech and language therapy coordinator, said: “Usman first attended in 1985 as a 17-year-old and as the result of this life-changing course, started a successful career at the Bank of England.

“Over the intervening years he has returned to City Lit for various different courses and it has been my pleasure to get to know Usman and see him develop into a highly articulate, self-motivated person, full of energy and purpose striving to improve the lives of others who stammer.”

And Jason Putman, 39, received the other ‘outstanding’ learner award. He had been homeless for more than 20 years, before studying for a level two certificate supporting vulnerable people.

Gillian Anderson presents Fadua Laaouiti a City Lit adult learner award. Also pictured is City Lit Fresh Horizons programme manager Anne Hartree. Picture courtesy of City Lit

“I was so fearful when I arrived that I nearly didn’t walk through the door,” said Jason.

“But I’m so happy now that I did. By the end, I had a qualification, experience, confidence and, most importantly, a job.”

He added: “I’ve been able to transform all that negative life experience into something positive.”

Wendy McKaig, head of programme for community projects, said: “Jason was one of the students who could be a complete nightmare and an inspiration in the space of half an hour — he was exhausting and invigorating in equal measure.

“But he was definitely worth the effort, because what really shone through was a real motivation to learn and improve; a passion to work with homeless and vulnerable people.”

Left: City Lit principal Mark Malcomson speaking at the ceremony and Jason Putman accepting his award from Gillian Anderson

Among the evening’s other learners to come in for praise, having been nominated for the outstanding student gongs, was grandfather James Anderson, 66, who has studied Italian, Spanish and French at City Lit having left school more than half a century ago with no certificates.

Also recognised were 26-year-old Aimee Stein, who battled personal health issues with fatigue as she achieved a distinction in her City & Guilds qualification in structured jewellery, and Fadua Laaouiti, 34. She balanced single-handedly raising three children while doing GCSEs and then an access course in pursuit of her dream to become a teacher.

City Lit principal Mark Malcomson said: “Learning for adults can and does change lives for the better, and hopefully this evening shows that through our award winners. Learning can be inspiring and challenging, but it can also be fun and that’s something we at City Lit hope permeates through.”

The awards took place at Mayfair’s Royal Institution of Great Britain on Wednesday, May 1.

Featured image caption: Gillian Anderson presents Aimee Stein her City Lit adult learner award. Also pictured is Aimee’s tutor, Joanne Haywood. Picture courtesy of City Lit

At 28 Paul, from Essex, was diagnosed with arthritis in his hands and arms, making it difficult for him to continue in his job as a plasterer, so in 1990 he decided to go to Chelmsford College to train for a Chartered Institute of Building (CIB) site manager qualification.

He said: “At first it was difficult to get back into it, probably the first six weeks were quite hard, your brain’s not open for it and you do feel like the class idiot.

“Part of it was that I was older than a lot of the people in the group — I was nearly 30 and they were 20 and their knowledge was different to mine.

“My knowledge had come from working on sites, whereas theirs had come through the college system, but after a few weeks I realised I did know a bit more than I originally thought.”

The first set of exams, he recalled, were difficult.

“I hadn’t passed any exams before so that was a bit scary, and they were make or break really. I thought ‘If I don’t pass these exams that’ll be the end of it’, but I did and it went on from there,” he said.

When he completed the course, Paul became an associate member of the CIB and decided to become a full member by enrolling on a degree in building at Chelmsford College, which he was awarded in 1999.

He then took an MSc in construction management through distance learning, which he was working on when he won his award.

“I did a speech at the national ceremony in London which was nice because it was good to get up and tell people about my history,” he said.

The following year he set up Cano Training Services, an NVQ centre which trains people in the building industry to become assessors.

Now 52 and a father of two, Paul said education had changed his life.

“I’m definitely more confident now. The main thing I’ve got from is it not feeling I have to prove anything to anyone — I know what I can do and what my weaknesses are and I don’t feel pressured into anything I don’t need to do,” he said.

“Also home life is easier because you haven’t got the stress. I run my own business and I wouldn’t have what I’ve got now if I hadn’t been involved in the learning.”

His own experience with further education inspired him to find out more about education and how people learn.

He started a PhD on learning in industrial settings, which he later converted into a M.Phil and graduated from in 2007, as well as completing a postgraduate certificate in education as part of his research.

“I’m keen to pass the benefits of learning on to others,” he said.

“From my own experience and
research I found people working in a construction environment don’t really want to come in a do a lot of reading straight away, it’s just not what they do,
so you have to work it round a different way to make learning relevant to their work and a bit of fun as well, rather than just ‘back to school’, which what they perceive it to be.

“It’s breaking down the barriers, that’s what we work on as a company, to be able to get people back into education more comfortably.”

Featured image caption: Paul Cano-Lopez managing a construction project in 2001 

Dean Short, 24 and from Manchester, left school with one GCSE but later returned from the army to start a film and television foundation degree at The Manchester College in 2010.

“I didn’t have a great time at school because I was getting bullied and I didn’t really socialise with anyone. I really didn’t open up and begin to discover myself until after leaving school,” said Dean.

But, Dean said, he wasn’t nervous about returning to education, because his time in the army had helped him to “open up”, and given him the confidence to go after his dream job.

“I had a lot of enthusiasm and passion because I wanted to get into the film industry so much. Everyone was saying ‘slow down a little bit’, it was kind of like shooting a gun — I felt like ‘I’ve got to do this, got to do that, right now’,” he said.

“I found the practical learning on the course more helpful than the classroom stuff because I’m an outgoing person compared to how I was at school.”

Danny Boyle was the person who inspired me to get into the film industry”

While doing his foundation degree, Dean was diagnosed with dyslexia for the first time.

“That was very intriguing because I didn’t realise what effect it had been having on me throughout my life but when I was told the symptoms, everything that I was confused about when I was at school and in the army made sense.

“It was this hurdle, this invisible wall that I’d never seen before… and it made me think ‘OK, what do I need to achieve to get over those hurdles?’”

With support for his dyslexia and a speech impediment, Dean achieved a distinction when he completed his foundation degree and also managed to get a paid experience on the set of Danny Boyle’s Great and Glorious film which played at the beginning of the Olympic opening ceremony.

“Danny Boyle was the person who inspired me to get into the film industry because I met him one day while I was in the army, just a couple of weeks after he’d won his Oscar for Slumdog Millionaire and he made me think ‘you’ve got to get into films’, and then my first ever work experience was working with him and it was so much fun.”

Dean is now splitting his time between working at the famous Pinewood Studios and doing a BA in film and television at the same college, where he mentors his fellow students.

Winning the award he said, was “amazing”.

“It’s my first award or recognition for doing something like this and I’m very proud, more than proud, it’s still weird, I can’t my head round it sometimes.

“When I talk to people they’re always saying I deserve this award, and you think ‘wow, I do actually’, “It’s a momentous occasion for me but it’s a momentous occasion for others as well, because I’m just a normal guy working who’s got a passion for the film industry, so I hope people say ‘if he can do it, we can give it a try’.”

Twenty-year-old Emma Rogers struggled at school but began to thrive when she enrolled on an NVQ level two beauty apprenticeship at Weston College. The Cheddar apprentice found that the balance of learning on the job and the support she got from the college allowed her to blossom.

“They just supported me more and helped me to get through the theory, because… you quickly fall behind if you’re not helped. It did an awful lot for me,” she said.

Emma had baby at the end of 2010, but returned to college just three months after giving birth to Charlie.

“A lot of people said ‘do you wish you didn’t have him so you could do more?’ But he’s really just inspired me to work even harder, so I don’t agree with that at all,” she said.

She completed her level two and moved on level three, working in at a top Bannatyne hotel and spa (owned by Duncan Bannatyne of Dragons’ Den) in between.

In 2011 Emma won her first UK skills competition and has since been shortlisted to represent the UK in Europe, which fuelled her desire to set up her own business.

She said: “I think I always had it at that back of my mind but I was just getting more successful and better at my job, and I was getting better than the people I was working with who had been training longer than me. I was getting so frustrated that I couldn’t use my skill to the full level that I wanted to.

“So about a year ago I started searching for premises and working two jobs to try to get the money so I could practise in my own way.”

Emma finally achieved her goal in November, opening her salon, Beauty by Emma, in Wedmore.

She says: “This feels like the start of my life. I’ve not hit my goal yet — I’ve so many. I want to specialise in skincare, be really specialised in my beauty therapy career, but then I also want to do other things like helping younger people by promoting education.”

This latest ambition, she said, is fairly recent and is a result of the respect she has for “what the people around me have done for me. I think I can do that for a lot of other people.”

She said she was “really pleased” to have won the Adult Learners’ Week award.

Graham Hasting-Evans, NOCN managing director, said, “Emma’s inspirational story is proof that with hard work and determination apprenticeships really do work.

“When learners are given real hands-on experience at the same time as learning the theory, they can go on to achieve great things.

“I’m sure Emma’s former employer, Duncan Bannatyne, will be very impressed with her tenacity, as I am. I hope she goes on to open many more salons — who knows? Maybe one day she’ll be in competition with the Dragon himself.”