Starting Off
Free training during lockdown
accounting for successful job placements
All sectors have been aff ected by the coronavirus pandemic and none more so than education, which has seen signifi cant disruption across all schools, colleges and education providers. At Starting Off , our weekly AAT classroom sessions stopped run-
ning on March 18, and overnight, like many providers, we had to adapt our tuition to a remote model. AAT exams were suspended for three months and we worked hard to keep learners motivated as they had to move onto studying their next module, unable to take the exam for the one they had been studying. Fortunately, most of our learners have responded positively to the
change and have shown great resilience in adapting to our Zoom time- table and continuing with their AAT qualifi cations. Indeed, our exams results since socially distanced exams have been able to resume, have been out- standing, a testament to the hard work of our stu- dents and tutors and the support of our employers in diffi cult circumstances. T e AAT is a highly val- ued qualifi cation across the fi nance industry which many learners rely on for progression in the sector and it was important that we did everything we could to keep our accounting apprentices working towards their goals. T e summer months are normally our busiest
time, with school leavers registering for employ- ment and training, and this year we have seen a surge in applications for accounting as more and more young people look to the apprenticeship route as an alternative to university. Accounting is a profession that lends itself brilliantly to be being studied in a vocational setting, with the AAT qual- ifi cation route and the accounting apprenticeship now one of the most popular apprenticeships on the market. Unfortunately, this year we knew that job oppor-
tunities were going to be slower coming in as the economy gradually comes out of lockdown, and
30 ALL THINGS BUSINESS
so, to support the young people registering with us we have run a free Introduction to Accounting programme over the summer. T e course covers the fundamentals of double entry bookkeeping and for successful candidates means a fast-track route to starting their AAT journey. One candidate who successfully completed the
course is Sean Wright, who has now started with Northampton Partnership Homes as a Finance Apprentice. By completing the Introduction to Accounting programme Sean has been able to start his placement with some accounting knowledge already and has been able to start his AAT directly at Level 3. Sean feels the course has given him a head start
in his role at Northampton Partnership Homes and his manager Katie said it defi nitely made a positive diff erence when he was being interviewed for the position. If you feel your business could support an ac- counts apprentice, then please do get in touch with Starting Off . Extra Government grants are currently available for employers taking on apprentices up to January 31, 2021.
If you are interested in fi nding out more about apprenticeships, contact
katie.goodall@startingoff
.co.uk
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68
