Hertfordshire Careers Hub held its first Virtual Careers Fair for parents and carers on Wednesday 14 June to help strengthen their understanding of apprenticeships and T-levels, and the opportunities they provide.

Hosted in partnership with Amazing Apprenticeships, Watford Chamber of Commerce and the Beds & Herts Provider Network, the event aimed to empower parents and carers with the knowledge and confidence they need to help children make informed career decisions.

Circa 560 delegates registered for the chance to meet with major local employers from across a range of sectors, including Computacenter, MBDA, Sky Studios Elstree, Warner Bros. Discovery, Hertfordshire Constabulary, Roche, Morgan Sindall and more.

A 2022 survey of local parents and carers by Hertfordshire LEP and Amazing Apprenticeships indicated that while 64% would consider an apprenticeship for their child, a whopping 91% do not feel confident in helping their child apply for one.  

Steve Trotter, Hertfordshire LEP's Careers Hub Operations Lead, said: "While apprenticeship awareness is high in the county, there is a pressing need to demystify them and ensure parents understand the advantages they offer. The calibre of employers offering apprenticeship and T-level programmes is incredibly high, and that was reflected at our event yesterday. We’re delighted to have had such a great turnout from industry, alongside training providers, local colleges and the University.”

The Careers Fair was hosted on the Remo virtual platform provided by Watford Chamber, which allowed attendees to interact with each other and with employers at virtual tables, and navigate across four levels of exhibition space, mimicking an in person conference.

The platform has enabled Hertfordshire Careers Hub to maximise the number of parents that were able to benefit from the event, and further virtual careers fairs are planned for 2024. Sign up to the HOP (Hertfordshire Opportunities Portal) newsletter for updates on future events.

Anna Morrison CBE, the Founder of Amazing Apprenticeships, who delivered the keynote address, said: "This event has been a brilliant way to enable parents and carers to hear first-hand from apprenticeship and T Level training providers and employers. The range of opportunities that we have in Hertfordshire is really incredible, and it's great to bring everything together under one 'virtual roof' to help showcase the offer.”

To access employer presentation slides and the keynote speech from the event, and to learn more about apprenticeships and T-levels in Hertfordshire, please visit the event page on HOP.

About Hertfordshire Careers Hub

Hertfordshire Careers Hub is a Hertfordshire LEP programme launched in 2015, part-funded by The Careers & Enterprise Company. It works closely with local schools and colleges to help shape their careers programmes and strategy, and ensure students are well informed of their career options and equipped with vital employability skills.

The Careers Hub is underpinned by its 132-strong network of Enterprise Advisers – volunteers from local businesses, who are passionate about supporting young people’s career journeys, and are each paired with a school or college to provide 1-2-1 support. Enterprise Advisers are drawn from all sectors and business sizes, from the self-employed; SMEs such as Cariad Marketing, Herts Building Control and Cheshunt Football Club; and large corporations including Warner Bros., Tesco and BAM.

Enterprise Advisers engage with schools or colleges four times a year, dedicating an hour or so per meeting. If you are a business leader living or working in Hertfordshire and are interested in volunteering as an Enterprise Adviser, please contact Steve Trotter at steve.trotter@hertfordshirelep.co.uk.

For other ways to get involved, visit HOP’s Hertfordshire Opportunity Pledge page