Ageas is one of the largest Motor Insurers in the UK, also offering Household and Commercial products to the market. We have a thriving Talent & Development team who look after everything from on-boarding new employees through to Talent Programmes, Leadership Development, Professional Development and Learning Technology.

Our Apprenticeships programme has taken off in the last 18 months or so, moving from an average of 45 Apprenticeships on a variety of Standards, to approx 115 on programme by the end of Jan 2021. We are working with a selection of suppliers to provide the right Standard for our people at the right time, and have expanded into areas like Leadership, Data and Process Improvement, in addition to the obvious Insurance offer. We have been able offer access to technical skills we wouldn’t have been able to support historically, including making use of several Level 6 and 7 Standards.

We became an Ambassador because we believe that Apprenticeships offer something new, of real value, and with the potential to create a more talented and diverse workforce. We would highly recommend being a part of SWAAN – We have had some cracking discussions with people in a similar boat to us, and shared ideas and views on all sorts of elements of this complex world.

Cheltenham Borough Council provides wide range of public services to local residents. Cheltenham is a vibrant and elegant Regency town located on the edge of the beautiful Cotswold Hills. With its stylish shops and restaurants, award-winning gardens and festivals of horse racing, music, science and literature, it is a great place to live and work. We employ around 230 people in a variety of jobs

We recognise the value an apprenticeship gives to young people such as hands-on technical experience in the workplace while also undertaking a college course on a part-time basis.

By joining SWAAN, we aim to work with local schools, colleges and universities, showcasing that an apprenticeship is a great route to employment and education. We will be encouraging all our apprentices to become Young Apprentice Ambassadors (AAN), attending events and accessing further development opportunities via SWAAN.

Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust was formed in October 2019. This followed the merger of 2gether NHS Foundation Trust and Gloucestershire Care Service NHS Trust, to provide joined up physical health, mental health and learning disability services to the communities across the county.

The Trust is committed to offering all clinical and non-clinical, new and substantive staff the opportunity to access high quality apprenticeship training throughout their career with the Trust. We currently offer apprenticeships from Level 2 up to Level 7 and over 20 different apprenticeship standards.

We are proud to be an Apprenticeship Ambassador and value the benefits and positive impact that apprenticeship training brings to our workforce. We have a dedicated Apprenticeship Team that work alongside all of our services and teams to support with the recruitment of new apprenticeship, identify training opportunities for substantive staff and to implement new apprenticeship standards to strengthen our workforce and provide quality services to our community.

We provide a range of specialist hospital services from our two main sites at Gloucestershire Royal and Cheltenham General Hospitals, as well as maternity services at Stroud Maternity Hospital. We have ambitious plans for the future to help us achieve our vision of delivering Best Care for Everyone

We help to attract and develop a workforce with the skills, knowledge and competence necessary to deliver safe patient care and to enhance the quality of service e delivery. We offer Information, Advice and Guidance for a number of apprenticeships for new and existing staff. We offer apprenticeships at level 2 – 7 (equivalent to GCSE up to Masters Level) in a range of career pathways.

It is great to network with other companies as part of SWAAN and see how apprenticeships are working within their organisations.

Harrison Clark Rickerbys (HCR) is an award winning Top 100 UK law firm providing a complete spectrum of city-quality legal services to business and private clients from the heart of some of the most beautiful towns and cities in Britain including Cheltenham in Gloucestershire. With a team of over 460 legal advisors and employees, we pride ourselves on our exceptional quality of service and client care. And in 2021, we have been ranked third most active legal adviser in the UK in mergers and acquisitions reflecting the development of our corporate offering by investing in new and home-grown talent.

At HCR, our passion for people and making a difference is at the heart of everything we do. For example, we offer a week-long placement scheme each summer to enable those interested in a career in law to find out more. Most people assume that you need a degree to become a lawyer, but you can also start work as an apprentice at several levels. And there are roles for those who want to work in our support teams, from human resources and marketing to accounts, facilities and IT.

As an apprentice at HCR, you can earn and learn at the same time and we help our apprentices to get the experience they need to support their studies as part of our commitment to providing a high quality apprenticeship experience. We are proud to join SWAAN, the South West Apprenticeships Ambassador Network as an Employer Ambassador.

Renishaw is one of the world’s leading engineering and scientific technology companies, with expertise in precision measurement and healthcare. We supply products and services used in applications as diverse as jet engine and wind turbine manufacture, through to dentistry and brain surgery. The Renishaw Group currently has more than 70 offices in 36 countries, with over 4,500 employees worldwide. Around 3,000 people are employed within the UK where we carry out the majority of our research and development and our manufacturing.

Over the years, we have improved and evolved our apprenticeship program: we have increased the number of schemes we offer, and we now run engineering, software and commercial programs, from Level 3 to Level 6. It’s been an amazing experience watching our apprentices grow and become effective members of staff who are relied on to support and shape our business. We are always struck by their ability to adapt to any challenges and we love to see how they continue to progress and develop in their careers after they have graduated from the apprentice program.

Apprentices are important for the development of skills, individuals, and our business as a whole. They are part of the culture of Renishaw and bring essential skills and a way of working that really suits us.

St. James’s Place is a FTSE100 wealth management company providing advice to help people create the future they want.

We help employees and managers identify the most suitable and relevant development to meet personal, professional and business needs. And to do this, we establish and develop relationships with providers and support our participants as they progress through programmes. Our Apprenticeships Lead is also an ICS coach and Emotional Intelligence practitioner, and so often applies these skills to help find the best development solutions for individuals in the business and their managers.

We are Apprenticeship Ambassadors because we believe in the apprenticeship approach. It speaks to our corporate purpose and we have a passion for helping people to develop.

Suntory Beverage & Food is one of the leading soft drinks businesses in the UK and Ireland. Formed in 2014 as Lucozade Ribena Suntory and now part of Suntory Beverage & Food Europe, our much-loved soft drinks brands include Lucozade Energy, Lucozade Sport,
Ribena and Orangina. The business is driven by our “Yatte Minahare” spirit and our role is to have a positive impact on the lives of our consumers by providing them with a responsible choice of great-tasting drinks that people can feel good about while enabling them to lead active lifestyles.

At the Suntory Group our vision is Growing For Good – growing as a company in a way that always benefits our community and apprenticeships are a key part of this. Apprenticeships provide an opportunity to develop the careers of young adults within our business and, at the same time, upskill employees to ensure they have the necessary knowledge, skills and behaviours in new roles and as part of succession plans.

Initially, being part of SWAAN was about developing and improving our understanding of apprenticeships and not just the standards. Today it’s about sharing experiences, best practice and new updates with other employers in the South West.