IHEEM WALES REGIONAL CONFERENCE 2026


Supporting young people through apprenticeships


At IHEEM’s annual Wales Regional Conference at ICC Wales, Jason Yi, associate director and healthcare business leader for global consultancy Arup, and assistant project manager and successful Arup apprentice Kate Yeomans, discussed the importance of private sector apprenticeship programs in bringing young people into the healthcare sector. HEJ editor Matt Seex reports.


Discussing a few of Arup’s most recent consultancy projects, Jason Yi reflected on the company’s success in supporting young people entering the healthcare space through its apprenticeship programs. “We’re a people business, so everything we do is about our staff,” said Jason. “They’re the lifeblood of our company, so we need to hire the best staff, train them to a really high standard, and then retain them, which is absolutely crucial for us. “In the private sector, it’s very difficult to recruit,” Jason continued. “Senior hires are really difficult to get. So our approach is to focus heavily on early careers. We have graduate training programs and we have annual intakes every year. They come in from universities, and we also arrange internships and work placements for school students. We take on GCSE and A-level students, and we’re very proud of our track record on that. We’ve won a lot of awards for that. “We’ve been recognised by the Department of


Education as being a top apprenticeship employer. Having apprentices in our company means we get to grow our own workforce. We upskill them in the areas that are most important through real project work, and that builds loyalty with the apprentice. They are supported from the outset of their career, and that means we’re more likely to retain them. “What is a modern apprenticeship?” Jason asked.


“Essentially, it’s a real job. It’s paid work. You are an employee of the company, so you have real experience, real responsibilities, and all the privileges that go with being an employee.


“You also get time off for learning. You get 20 per cent of your time off, so that’s either a day a week or you can do it in a block – one week every five weeks. And we have various appointed training providers. Here in Wales, we are working with five colleges and universities. All of which, Jason


explained, will lead to successful apprentices gaining a qualification – from the equivalent of two A-level passes to a Higher National Certificate or Higher National Diploma, up to a full bachelor’s or master’s degree. According to Jason, since 2013, Arup has successfully trained over 800 apprentices.


Jason discussed the process by which potential apprenticeships could apply, pointing out that it was a highly competitive process. He pointed out that for one level six electrical apprenticeship, Arup’s Cardiff branch received 106 applications for a single place.


When I was at school, it was drilled into us that apprenticeships are mainly targeted at boys. But when I started to do a little bit of digging, it


was a different story. Kate Yeomans


An apprentice’s viewpoint Jason introduced Kate Yeomans, who took to the stage to discuss her own apprenticeship journey. Kate reflected on the fact that, having completed her A-levels, she initially had “no idea” what she wanted to do next. “It was a time of uncertainty,” Kate said. “I would have loved to travel, but COVID got in the way of that. I was keen to develop my education, and considered going to university full-time, but I didn’t want to be stuck with the student debt. I considered going straight into employment, but thought that being without a degree could limit me later on. I was really passionate about architecture – this is an area of study that I focused on in my ‘A’ levels. Equally, I was interested in biology and healthcare, but I’m really squeamish, so that limited that career path. And then I found out about apprenticeships. “When I was at school, it was kind of drilled into us that you must go to university, and that apprenticeships are mainly targeted at boys and are engineering focused. But when I started to do a little bit of digging and found out about level six apprenticeships, it was a different story: a funded degree, no student debt, and work experience


August 2026 Health Estate Journal 23


Jason Yi talks to attendees about apprenticeships.


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