The Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA UK) has launched a campaign to get the education, employment and parenting communities to champion apprenticeships for young people.
The ‘ACCApprenticeships: Pledge for Potential’ campaign asks employers, parents, schools, colleges and other training providers to support apprenticeships as an alternative entry route into accounting for young people, including those looking to upskill for a career change.
The campaign launches amid a growing skills shortage and the need for businesses to achieve inclusive and sustainable growth. By pledging, organisations demonstrate their commitment to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs), especially goals 4 and 8 to ‘ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all’ and to ‘promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full productive employment and decent work for all’, according to ACCA UK.
The accounting body is a long-term advocate of apprenticeships for the sector as they align with their values of inclusion, integrity and innovation, and have the potential to upskill candidates into an accounting role via an alternative route to a traditional university education.
Claire Bennison, Head of ACCA UK said: “By making one or more pledges, we can all back the benefits apprenticeships offer to trainees, employers and the economy. It’s a chance to showcase the difference apprenticeships can make within organisations, to improve social mobility and create more opportunities for all.
“Our Pledge for Potential demonstrates a commitment to apprenticeships and supports young people looking to join the profession as well as those looking to upskill for a new career or change of direction.
“Employers could pledge to offer apprenticeships if they don’t already, or take on more if they do. They could transfer their un-used levy fund to a small/medium-sized organisation, to ensure great apprenticeship opportunities are available for all in their local community. ACCA pledges to continue to push the Government to make the transfer simpler for all businesses and to promote the value of apprenticeships through the UK.
“Training providers could pledge to help parents and local schools to better understand the apprenticeship opportunities that are available to students, and as a parent governor I’ll commit to speaking to schools about apprenticeships; parents could promise to talk to younger family members, like I will, about all of the career pathways available to them after they finish school, not just university.”
To make a pledge, click here.
