Written by: on October 16, 2020
Specialising in digital careers, Baltic Apprenticeships is a training provider who is passionate about giving people a brighter future. Active all over the UK, Baltic Apprenticeships have already provided tech skills and training to hundreds of apprentices across the UK, and are steadily expanding.
After an initial conversation with their friendly team, it became obvious that their passion for diversity and inclusion aligned with our own. Baltic Apprenticeships are not only passionate about encouraging more girls and non binary teens to venture out of their comfort zone into the tech industry, but they are also eager to embrace D&I in their own workplace – and with that – we knew we were meant to be partners!
Enough from us – let us introduce you to Frances Hardcastle, the Marketing Executive at Baltic Apprenticeships.
Baltic Apprenticeships are an apprenticeship training provider who specialise in digital and IT apprenticeship programs. We offer a range of advanced and higher apprenticeships under four subject umbrellas: Data, Digital Marketing, IT, and Software Development.
We are dedicated digital experts who are passionate about changing futures. From supporting underrepresented groups into successful careers in tech, to helping businesses fulfil their potential through building up a skilled workforce – we’re always looking for ways to make an impact, and change the tech sector for the better.
Our Head Office is in Newton Aycliffe, County Durham, but we deliver apprenticeship training remotely throughout England. We’ve recently expanded our regional Employer Engagement teams, and opened new city-centre hubs in Newcastle upon Tyne, Middlesbrough and London, with more sites coming soon.
Our team is 150 strong and growing! We have an amazing team of technical trainers, learning mentors, and apprenticeship co-ordinators, along with our marketing, sales, account management, and admin teams.
Baltic Apprenticeships started out in a portacabin in a Hartlepool fuel yard in 2006.
We’re always looking to the future. We were the first UK apprenticeship provider to offer a completely tech-focused, tech-driven training solution, delivering 100% of our training online. Whether we’re changing the futures of young people, or revolutionising the way digital and tech businesses recruit, transformation is at the heart of what we do.
In our team, our motto is One Team, Changing Futures and this really summarises what we do. We’re passionate about creating opportunities for young people to transform their future. We’re also committed to changing the way that businesses recruit, addressing people’s misconceptions about apprenticeships one amazing candidate at a time.
Apprenticeships haven’t always had a great reputation; there’s often this view that apprenticeships only work in manual job roles, or are mainly for school leavers who haven’t got many qualifications. We thrive on dismantling these myths.
We love to highlight the changing face of apprenticeships, and showcase what our learners are capable of. Apprenticeships work really well for the tech sector, where software developers and digital marketers can make careers out of pursuing their passion – learning as they go. Our programmes provide the formal structure, support and industry-recognised qualifications that learners need to develop their career.
Apprenticeships can also be a great way to build on skills in an existing role. 46% of new apprentices are aged over 25, so they’re not just for school leavers!
Each of our apprenticeships starts with an employer. We work with organisations who are looking to develop their workforce, helping them to identify current skills gaps, and suggesting ways to build up digital skills within their organisation. Sometimes this means enrolling existing staff onto apprenticeship training programmes, but often businesses are looking to recruit and train fresh talent, creating exciting opportunities for young people to start a career in tech.
For someone looking for an apprenticeship, we encourage them to apply for specific vacancies – just like applying for other jobs. Once we’ve reviewed new applications, our recruitment team get in touch to discuss the opportunity in more detail and then shortlist candidates for interviews with the employer. If someone is a strong candidate but miss out on the opportunity they applied for, they can become part of our talent pool. From here, we help them improve their CV, strengthen their skills, and put them forward for similar roles in their area.
We’ve also recently set up some pre-apprenticeship schemes, designed to build up basic digital skills and help people explore what a tech career might be like.
Our learners are at the heart of what we do. Our training takes place online in our SMART Classroom. Depending on their programme, every 6-10 weeks, our apprentices tune into the SMART Classroom for a week of interactive technical training, delivering in real time by one of our subject experts.
Learning remotely doesn’t mean learning in isolation. Each learner has their very own Baltic Learning Mentor who supports them throughout their programme, both academically and in terms of wellbeing. It’s the Learning Mentor who will lead skills workshops, help apprentices build their assessment portfolio, and address any problems or questions that a learner might have on their journey.
We’re really proud of the work we’re doing right now to create apprenticeship opportunities for young women in tech. Our Future is Female initiative aims to increase the number of female applicants for our apprenticeship vacancies and highlight success stories from young women who have followed the tech apprenticeship route.
This year, we’re well on our way to achieving our target of female apprenticeship starts! In terms of gender equality across the sector, we have a long way still to go, but we’re proud of the work we’ve started so far, and we’re sure there’s a lot we can learn from being part of the InnovateHER network.
To learn more about the apprentices that Apprenticeship has championed, tap below!
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We’ve just launched two brand-new data-focused apprenticeships. Data has the potential to transform so many organisations, generating insight, innovation and growth. Data careers can be highly specialised, fast-moving, and incredibly rewarding – so it’s really exciting to be able to offer an entry-level route for young people to get their start in this growing industry. Our new Level 3 Data Technician and Level 4 Data Analyst courses offer comprehensive work-based training to help people build an amazing career from the ground up.
We’re really keen to showcase data as an appealing career path for young women, and are always on the lookout for career case studies, advocates, and industry insights from women in data. If you know anyone who’d love to be involved, send them our way!
We came across InnovateHER while watching a panel during the WeAreTechWomen conference. We realised we shared a lot of the same ideas on how to get more women into tech careers, wrote a blog about it, and looked for ways we could get involved! Read the blog below:
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We’re so excited to be part of the InnovateHER network. Together we hope to raise awareness of alternative routes for achieving a successful career in the tech industry, and make apprenticeships more diverse, inclusive and accessible.
Click here to learn more about Baltic apprenticeships.
Alternatively, lean more about joining our great network here.
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April 22, 2024 - Lauren