South Thames Colleges Group supported the 19th National Apprenticeship Week (#NAW2026), by hosting a variety of events across our four Colleges, all designed to support learners to explore pathways that combine real-job experience with education. These included an Employer Fair, Apprenticeship Information Evening, Guest Talks, Employer Site Visits, Information Advice & Guidance Workshop on CVs and Apprenticeships and a NAW Innovation Challenge.
We work closely with a fantastic range of employers to run our Apprenticeship courses. They provide apprentices and learners with the opportunity to take the next step in their skills journey. Many of our employer partners attended our Employer Fair, where our 16+ students had the chance to speak with them directly to find out about the Apprenticeship roles on offer. Employers included Vistry, HTA Alton Renewable designers, Royal Borough of Kingston, Berkely Homes, Cardo Group, Overbury, Business Clan, Elite Landscaping and UKPN.
British Airways delivered a Guest Talk: Introduction to BA and Apprenticeships Opportunities to Year 1 students at Kingston and Merton studying Business, IT and Engineering. The NAW Innovation Challenge involved a creative team building challenge and input from local employers - pupils in local schools Year 9 and above were invited to attend.
We had a fantastic turnout of STCG students and pupils from local schools attending our Apprenticeship Information Evening. Our Business Partnerships Team delivered a presentation on how Apprenticeships work and what vacancies are currently available. Attendees had the chance to meet local employers including Cubic, the Shore Group and National Grid, offering Apprenticeship opportunities. The event was also attended by Bobby Dean. MP for Carshalton and Wallington and Luke Taylor, MP for Sutton and Cheam.
If you're an employer interested in hiring an apprentice or upskilling your workforce, please visit our website for details https://stcg.ac.uk/employers/looking-for-an-apprentice or email business@stcg.ac.uk
The hard work of our amazing apprentices has also been celebrated across social media. Level 3 Laboratory Technician apprentice Faisal recently completed his Apprenticeship with a Distinction, all while working within the world-class research environment at Imperial College London. His journey shows how Apprenticeships can open doors to competitive careers by combining hands-on experience with structured learning.
He says: “I had held an interest in pursuing a STEM related career, particularly Pharmaceuticals and research around drug discovery. Coming across an opportunity to be educated and develop in my field of interest while also earning and supporting myself financially was a prime opportunity for me. I had struggled to balance work and coursework previously, so it was important for me to find a balance between the two to make the most of the opportunity.
Treating work activity as an opportunity to exercise the learning from my coursework and find links between my learning and my work was also helpful in making sure it never felt as though one clashed with the other. Achieving a Distinction was affirming as it reflected to me the effort I had put into both work and study and showed me that there was worth to committing to my learning and work activity as best I could.
The plan for me now is to try to establish myself in the next few early roles as a technician as best as I can and pursue opportunities for further qualification through small technical certifications and potentially a further Apprenticeship or return to university at some point in the future. Long-term, the goal for me is to work in Lab management roles.”
If you’re interested in finding out how Apprenticeships can help you take the next step in your careers journey, visit our website for information https://stcg.ac.uk/apprenticeships and hear from some of our apprentices https://stcg.ac.uk/apprenticeships-at-south-thames-colleges-group
