Back to school with blended presentations

The Apprenticeship Support by Be More Team adapted to provide information on apprenticeship to schools during COVID-19 rapidly. They took to Zoom and Teams to deliver a range of presentations over the internet. Now, this autumn term, they are ready to bring presentations back into schools with all the advantages this brings.

“Pre-COVID we were visiting many schools across the Liverpool City Region, delivering presentations about apprenticeships, including what’s involved, qualifications you can get, what types of apprenticeships there are and importantly, how to find them and apply. This was not safe during lockdown, so we began to deliver these over the internet,” explains Samantha Metcalfe, Apprenticeship Support Skills Broker.

The virtual presentations proved as popular and effective as the live ones. The Zoom and Teams format allowed the Apprenticeship Support by Be More team to continue presenting current apprenticeship opportunities and answer questions about what being an apprentice involves. The team also invited members from their LCR Apprenticeship Ambassador Network to discuss their experiences as an Apprentice and how they applied successfully.

The Apprenticeship Support by Be More Team are now moving to blended presentations, so you can pick from presentations on site or a suite of virtual resources. In addition to Apprenticeship information sessions there are pre-recorded presentations with a live chat function. These presentations feature a SEND appropriate presentation that is 20 minutes long making it perfect for school assemblies. Schools can also take advantage of other types of support from the team tailored for students. This ranges from 1 to 1 support through to help with mock interviews and career fairs.

“We are looking forward to getting back into the classrooms and meeting pupils face to face. The virtual presentations have been a success, and will continue to be on offer, but the presentations we make at schools are far more interactive. They stimulate a lot more spontaneous questions and allow us to provide more comprehensive answers. We also find that some pupils want to ask some quick confidential questions after the session, perhaps because they are more comfortable not sharing them with a group, or are very specific and need a more complex and detailed response that would not be relevant for everyone in the session,” says Sam.

Classroom presentations also allow pupils to meet an LCR Ambassador first hand. This is often an employer and an apprentice who share their practical experiences of how an apprenticeship works. This includes opportunities for pupils to explore what an employer is looking for from apprentice. In addition they can find out how apprentices secured their apprenticeships and what it was like when they started.

If you would like further information on apprenticeships how to apply for them, or to book a school presentation talk to the Apprenticeship Support by Be More Team They provide impartial information and advice on apprenticeships across the Liverpool City Region.