UK tech apprentice, 22, to get voice heard at European Parliament
UK tech apprentice Satveer Kaur-Singh, age 22, is called to present at the European Parliament in Brussels, to get her voice heard ...QA apprentice shares her experience to contribute to debate with European ministers and industry heads.
Today, tech apprentice Satveer Kaur-Singh, 22 from Lancashire, is flying the flag for apprenticeships at the European Parliament in Brussels; as she is invited to contribute to a debate with the European Commissioner for employment, parliamentarians, and industry heads. This is a key event for the Alliance for YOUth movement, as they have pledged to double youth training and job opportunities by 2020, and drive youth employment, by providing concrete job opportunities for young people.
Kaur-Singh, who is currently on a QA Apprenticeship programme with employer AXA Insurance, says “doing an apprenticeship gives you the chance to gain qualifications and earn a salary at the same time. My parents were very supportive but we didn’t know much about apprenticeships, so were unsure if I was making the right decision. I am so glad that I took this route, and now I don’t have any student debt hanging over me.”
AXA Insurance is one of the partner organisations of Alliance for YOUth, one of 200 organisations from 23 European countries engaged with the scheme, all sharing a mission to reduce youth unemployment by providing meaningful career opportunities.
The event, today, involved the European Commissioner for Employment, Marianne Thyssen, who said “The Alliance for Youth shows how investing in youth is also good for business. I am very pleased that it is stepping up its efforts with a new commitment under the European Alliance for Apprenticeships to offer 230,000 new placements to young people in Europe to secure their first foothold in the labour market. These alliances are making good headway to boost the employability of young people through quality apprenticeship and work opportunities.”
Ben Pike, QA Apprenticeships Managing Director said “Satveer is a fantastic example of how an apprenticeship can transform the life of a young person, who is able to learn and earn at the same time, whilst building valuable contacts and working for a highly supportive organisation, like AXA Insurance. Our core mission is to bring talent into our clients’ organisations training them in tech, business skills, and project management so that they can perform well within our clients’ teams.”
92% of QA’s apprentices end up in full-time employment after their apprenticeship ends. This contrasts significantly to university graduates in areas of tech. The recent government ‘Digital Skills Crisis’ report stated that 13% of Computer Science graduates were out of work for 6 months or more after finishing their degree. The apprenticeships format is highly effective for both employers and young people.
Darrell Sansom, AXA, said “We feel extremely proud of our apprentice Satveer to be asked to the European Parliament, to get her voice heard. Apprentices are such an important part of our business, because young people bring ideas driven by the experience of growing up in the digital era. They add a unique dimension to our teams, and ecosystem. We can only recommend apprentices to other organisations within the UK.”
Tune into live debate at the European Parliament, and hear Satveer Kaur-Singh speak to ministers about her experiences of being an apprentice in the UK:
Date: 15th Nov
Time: 12:00 – 13:00
https://alliance4youth.livecasts.eu/business-education-collaboration
About QA Apprenticeships
QA Apprenticeships provide IT, tech and business apprenticeships. The first IT apprenticeships business to be graded Ofsted ‘Outstanding’, their apprenticeship programmes were described as “world-class”. QA’s programmes blend high-quality training with real-world experience in the workplace, and are designed to upskill local talent with training relevant to their job roles. Their wide range of programmes include industry-recognised qualifications and accreditations from City & Guilds, Microsoft, CompTIA, ACA and the APM.
QA Apprenticeships is part of QA LTD. QA LTD comprises of four divisions - QA Learning, QA Apprenticeships, QA Consulting and QA Higher Education - and offers a unique blend of resourcing and training solutions that deliver immediate and lasting value.
About AXA
The AXA Group is a worldwide leader in insurance and asset management, with 166,000 employees serving 103 million clients in 64 countries. In 2015, IFRS revenues amounted to Euro 99.0 billion and IFRS underlying earnings to Euro 5.6 billion. AXA had Euro 1,363 billion assets under management as of December 31, 2015. In 2016 Interbrand ranked AXA the 1st insurance brand worldwide for the 8th consecutive year.
In the UK AXA operates through a number of business units including: AXA Insurance, AXA PPP healthcare, AXA Ireland and an independent distribution business Bluefin. AXA employs over 10,500 staff in the UK.
The AXA ordinary share is listed on compartment A of Euronext Paris under the ticker symbol CS (ISN FR 0000120628 – Bloomberg: CS FP – Reuters: AXAF.PA). AXA’s American Depository Share is also quoted on the OTC QX platform under the ticker symbol AXAHY.
The AXA Group is included in the main international SRI indexes, such as Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI) and FTSE4GOOD.
It is a founding member of the UN Environment Programme’s Finance Initiative (UNEP FI) Principles for Sustainable Insurance and a signatory of the UN Principles for Responsible Investment.
About the “Alliance for YOUth”
The “Alliance for YOUth”, initiated by Nestlé, has pledged in 2014 to develop a number of joint and individual initiatives to give young people meaningful work experience and internships. The companies also mobilize their employees to go out into the community and help young people get ready for work by offering practical advice, CV clinics and interview preparation. The “Alliance for YOUth” partners are active members of the European Commission’s European Alliance for Apprenticeships, promoting apprenticeships and training as active ambassadors of vocational training across Europe.
Europe-wide partners include workforce solutions provider Adecco Group, insurer AXA, international food group Cargill, logistics groups CHEP and DS Smith, Global Energy Player ENGIE, consultants EY, social networking company Facebook, perfume and flavor firm Firmenich, information technology firm Google, retailer METRO GROUP, food and drink producer Nestlé, consumer insights group Nielsen, communications firm Publicis Groupe, technology firm Salesforce, chemicals and advanced materials company Solvay, information exchange platform Twitter and international law firm White & Case. To date more than 200 companies across Europe have joined the “Alliance for YOUth”.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCT2oqTwW05T84i_NqNrs99A
About youth unemployment in Europe
Over the last years, youth unemployment figures are slowly coming down in the EU. The current EU average stands at 18.8%, from 23.9% in early 2013. Nevertheless, the issue remains a huge burden on European societies, especially in large cities or in southern Europe, where youth unemployment rates can reach up to 50%.
About the “Alliance for YOUth” Business-Education Collaboration event 15 November
Agenda & webstreaming:
http://www.nestle.com/media/mediaeventscalendar/allevents/alliance-for-youth-business-education-partnerships-european-parliament
Press Kit
Will be made available 15 Nov 2016 at 12.45 CET on: http://www.nestle.com/media/mediaeventscalendar/allevents/alliance-for-youth-business-education-partnerships-european-parliament
YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCT2oqTwW05T84i_NqNrs99A
Twitter
#All4YOUth
@QAApprentices
@AXAUKCareers