06 Feb 2023
Transport for Wales (TfW) has showcased its commitment to developing its staff by joining The 5% Club, an industry-led initiative focussed on driving the recruitment of apprentices, graduates and sponsored students.
The 5% Club is a movement of more than 700 employers providing ‘earn and learn’ opportunities to develop the skills and talents people need to become more employable and create meaningful careers.
Companies joining The 5% Club commit to raising the number of apprentices, sponsored students and graduates on formal programmes to 5% of their total workforce within five years.
Over the last year, TfW have welcomed 122 new apprentices to the business, providing opportunities in engineering, operational and head office roles. They have also initiated mentoring and development programmes providing the new recruits with vocational skills and guidance.
Katie Harris, Strategic Organisational Lead – Early Talent at TfW said: “At TfW we’re fully aligned with helping the Welsh Government create its target of 125,000 new apprenticeship opportunities by 2026.
“We understand the importance of providing opportunities for not only young people but for those who may wish for a career change and we’re excited to be committing to and joining The 5% Club.
“There are many benefits from having a diverse range of apprentices within TfW, such as boosting productivity, filling skills gaps and cost-effective training. We look forward to continue developing in this space and I’d encourage those seeking a new apprenticeship to check our website for future opportunities.”
Gill Cronin, Director of Operations of The 5% Club added: “We’re delighted to welcome Transport for Wales as a member. The 5% Club provides a fantastic network of HR professionals, sharing and learning from each other. All our members share an ethos of creating a skilled workforce through ‘earn and learn’ development programmes, helping people develop meaningful career paths.”
Notes to editors
- The 5% Club works with UK employers and key influencers to inspire, educate and retain a growing body of people into “earn and learn” placements in order to increase the number of apprentices, sponsored students and graduates. The goal of The 5% Club is to increase the employment and career prospects of today’s youth and equip the UK with the skilled workforce it needs to safeguard Britain’s economy. The 5% Club was launched in 2013.
- Members sign The 5% Club charter. As a member of The 5% Club, employers state they are: Committed to helping the UK’s growth agenda and acknowledge the importance of developing people as both a business and social imperative; Playing their part in addressing youth unemployment and skills shortage; Pledging to work towards having a minimum 5% of their UK workforce enrolled on formalised apprentice, sponsored student and/or graduate development schemes within five years; Measuring and reporting on their progress annually against the above metric in their Corporate Social Responsibility section of the Annual Report and Accounts or equivalent document; Committed to encouraging other employers to participate in the campaign.
- Membership of The 5% Club numbers more than 500 businesses from across a broad range of sectors as well as size of company, including large corporations as well as SMEs.
- For more information about The 5% Club visit https://www.5percentclub.org.uk
