North Herts Businesses Unite to Champion Apprenticeships and Skills at National Apprenticeship Week Breakfast

Business leaders from across North Hertfordshire came together yesterday morning at Willmott Dixon’s Hitchin offices for a special National Apprenticeship Week Business Breakfast, hosted by Anna Morrison from Amazing Apprenticeships, Natalie Sidey from Willmott Dixon, and Hitchin MP Alistair Strathern. The event shone a spotlight on the vital role employers play in helping young people and adults build their skills through high‑quality apprenticeships.

The breakfast brought together employers, training providers, schools, and local representatives to explore how apprenticeships, from entry level through to master’s degree qualifications, are transforming career pathways and helping businesses grow a skilled, motivated workforce.

A central theme of the morning was the powerful impact of real‑world experience on young people’s confidence and aspirations. Priory School in Hitchin shared inspiring stories of students thriving through work experience placements, discovering new interests, and gaining a clearer sense of future career ambitions. Businesses emphasised that hosting students not only supports the next generation but also brings fresh ideas and energy into their organisations.

One standout success story was that of Sara, who first joined Willmott Dixon whilst at school, on a work experience placement. Inspired by her time with the company, she later returned as an apprentice and is now completing a degree‑level apprenticeship, demonstrating the long‑term impact early employer engagement can have on a young person’s future, beating 500 applicants to the role.

Attendees also heard about the upcoming Priory School Apprenticeships and Businesses Event on 25 February, where local employers will host stalls exclusively for local school students. The event aims to showcase the breadth of opportunities available and encourage more businesses to open their doors to young people and career changers alike.

Speaking after the event, Alistair Strathern MP praised the commitment shown by local employers:

“When businesses invest in young people, whether through apprenticeships, work experience, or skills development, the whole community benefits. Today’s event showed just what a wide range of amazing opportunities we have on our doorstep, and I’m determined to ensure more young people can benefit from them.

“I know for small businesses in particular the rigid design of schemes can sometimes feel difficult to manage. That’s why new initiatives from the Government to cover more of training costs and improve flexibility through foundation apprenticeships are so welcome.

“There’s more to do though, and I’m looking forward to working with all our fantastic businesses, schools and young people locally to ensure they get access to the best possible opportunities here in our community.”

The Business Breakfast underscored a shared ambition across the region: ensuring that every young person, and every adult looking to up-skill or retrain, has access to meaningful, high‑quality pathways into work.

Anna Morrison, Founder of Amazing Apprenticeships, added:

“We have hundreds of fantastic employers in our town, many of them small businesses working on exciting products and services that are critical not just for our local economy, but nationally and internationally too. Today marks the start of something special, where we will be working to connect businesses with talented young people in our town so that there are opportunities for all.”