Apprentices impress Andrew Pakes MP

This week Andrew Pakes MP visited Education For Industry Group at Electra House, and met with CEO Lee Lucas and Director of Strategy & Funding Chris Amadeo.

They were joined by Fabiola Osei-Hwedieh, Head of Apprenticeships and Louis Clark, Head of Apprenticeship Development, from the EFI Training division.

Andrew is Co-Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Apprenticeships, and the team spoke to him about the industry-specialist programmes delivered by EFI Training at the Fashion Retail Academy.

As part of a tour of the campus, the group visited apprentices studying with EFI Training at the Fashion Retail Academy who were taking part in a Functional Skills maths class with tutor Vicki Fentiman. This an important element of an apprenticeship which helps anyone who has not achieved GCSE English or Maths to improve their skills and gain a qualification.

They represented a range of employer partners, including Harrods, Selfridges and Warner Brothers, and are at various points in their apprenticeship journey, some having recently embarked on the programme while others are heading towards End-Point Assessment. They are studying a range of programmes, including Level 3 Retail Team Leader, Level 4 Retail Manager and Level 3 Customer Service Specialist. 

Lee and Andrew spoke to apprentices about how they discovered their programme and whether they felt that careers advice at school was helpful in signposting the apprenticeship route. Apprentices also asked questions about what the government is doing to promote apprenticeships as a more attractive option to those who prefer hands-on experience and the opportunity to earn while they learn.

The tour of the new campus also took in the fifth floor Fashion Design wing, where Andrew spoke to Fashion Retail Academy lecturer Caroline Bose about what the Level 3 Fashion Design students were working on. He also visited the Library and the Creative Lab on the third floor, where Level 3 Visual Communications & Styling students were creating zines under the supervision of lecturer Rosie Coverini.  

Finally, Lee and Andrew dropped into a masterclass for Level 3 Fashion Retail students given by FRA alumna Grace Downs. Since graduating 5 years ago has gone on to found her own social media agency, the Excelsior Collaborative, and was sharing her experiences of running her business with the students.