National Apprenticeship Week 2025 Breakfast

In celebration of National Apprenticeship Week, which took place from 10–16 February 2025, EFI Training brought together some of our partners at Electra House for two special breakfast briefings.

We welcomed a number of brands to the events to share best practice and discuss the power of apprenticeships within the fashion and retail industries. Attendees heard from senior leaders in the EFI Training and wider Education For Industry Group teams, as well as consultants and experts we work with, to ensure we deliver apprenticeships and training that meet the needs of industry.

A Welcome from the ceo

The guests enjoyed a breakfast buffet in one of the custom-fitted lecture theatres at our headquarters, Electra House in Moorgate, before hearing from Lee Lucas, CEO and Principal of Education For Industry Group, and Simon Ashworth, Deputy Chief Executive and Director of Policy for the Association of Employment and Learning Providers. Introductions were followed by a Q&A session.

the importance of leadership, management and coaching

A three-way panel discussed the current state of leadership and coaching skills, and how they see the industry need changing in the near future. Our panellists were James Carpenter, Leadership Consultant for EFI Training; Terry Delaney, Head of Learning Progression at Education For Industry Group; and Katie Foulkes, Talent Development Advisor at our longtime partner, Harrods.

Finally, EFI Training's Head of Apprenticeships, Fabiola Osei-Hwedieh, led a Q&A session on 'Responsible Fashion and Retail'.

Brands represented at the breakfast event included ASOS, Oliver Bonas, Space NK, Next, Lipsy, Harvey Nichols, Sainsbury's, TJX, M&S, Mountain Warehouse and Selfridges. Our newer partners were keen to hear the experiences of brands who have been offering apprenticeships powered by EFI Training for many years.

OUR NEWEST BRAND PARTNER

Amongst the dozens of HR and Learning & Development professionals from some of the UK's biggest fashion and retail brands was one of our newest partners, John Lewis Partnership.

Ruth Buchanan, Commercial Support Lead at John Lewis Partnership, said: "I'm really excited to be here today and to share that we've been trying to get our two apprenticeships over the line for the last five years. We finally did it, and it's great to be partnering with EFI Training."

THE FUTURE OF APPRENTICESHIPS

We were delighted to have the opportunity to bring like-minded partners together to share our vision for the future of fashion and retail apprenticeships.

Sara Harris, Business Development Manager for EFI Training, said: "It was great to have some of our fantastic brands in the room to share best practice and discuss the power and impact that apprenticeships can have on the industry. These brands utilise the apprenticeships that we deliver to upskill and retain their staff, proving that the model will continue to positively augment industry-wide efforts."

Thank you to everyone who celebrated National Apprenticeship Week 2025 with us - here's to another successful year!