Getting that step on the career ladder is being made easier in Sheffield thanks to a showcase of home grown talent.
It’s National Apprentice Week this week and Sheffield continues to showcase the brightest and best hopes for future success.
Eight Visual Merchandising Apprentices are currently sprucing up the city centre through the Sheffield Showcase project. The project brings together creative talent, retailers and apprentices to bring to life the Sevenstone development site. The project creates an outdoor gallery in the city centre to boost the number of people coming into Sheffield to help businesses still operating in the area, as well as providing opportunities for future Sheffield retail talent who will drive the success of the New Retail Quarter in years to come.
Funded by Sheffield City Council and co-ordinated by the Council in partnership with Creative Sheffield and The Source, eight posts are filled and all apprentices are working towards their NVQs. As well as working on the shop windows within the showcase, the students are also undertaking work placements in Debenhams, Burtons and Kelham Island.
The apprentices are being kept very busy, changing displays about every three weeks due to such a high demand for space by retailers. This is providing them with valuable on the job skills and experience.
Councillor Paul Scriven, Leader of Sheffield City Council said: “Apprenticeships are an excellent way of gaining qualifications and workplace experience. Young people can earn as they learn gaining practical skills from the workplace. National Apprenticeship Week celebrates the value and importance of apprenticeships to both young people and local business. We want to nurture and retain skills in the city. It is vital to our city’s economy that we support young people and businesses to get the training and skills that are right for them, creating more jobs and wealth for the people of Sheffield.”
The Sheffield Showcase project helps local business, helps to get more people into the city centre around an area of the city that has been pretty redundant lately, and it provides a fantastic opportunity for young visual merchandising students. Sheffield Showcase not only shows off the city’s existing talents but nurtures the next generation.
Josh Burnard, 18, who works on the Sheffield Showcase project said: “School was not for me; I found it boring and never wanted to go, but my Visual Merchandising Apprenticeship is different - I never want to miss a day, even if I'm ill. I really enjoy what I do every day, from working with the local artists and designers, to putting the window displays together. The Apprenticeship is giving me real experience in visual merchandising and I am gaining a qualification in the process, which will support me in my future. ”
Nicole Albinson, 17, agrees: “My Visual Merchandising Apprenticeship is totally different to anything I have done before. We are working on a really exciting project and learning new things all the time. No day is the same and there is so much to learn. The designers give you hints and tips which I make note of to put into practice in the future. After completing one of the windows, I really feel like I've done something worthwhile. I feel my Apprenticeship has given me the confidence to go far and I am so excited about my future”
The dynamic initiative offers a platform for local businesses and creative individuals to contribute to the improvement of the city by showcasing their wares within the window spaces. The displays will also present up and coming Sheffield retail students with the chance to develop their skills within a genuine retail environment.
If you have an idea for Sheffield Showcase contact The Source on 07759 442 057 or email ideas@thesourceacademy.co.uk.
To find out more about other apprenticeship schemes in Sheffield go to www.apprenticeships.org.uk
Sheffield businesses can find out more about skills, apprenticeships and training by contacting First Point for Business on 0114 244 5000 or emailing firstpointforbusiness@sheffield.gov.uk