Holts Academy launches apprenticeship programme
The Hatton Garden based school has teamed up with Coutts Bank to offer the first pilot of this scheme, which is backed by the BJA and The Goldsmiths’ Company.
The scheme will aim to nurture the next generation of designers and manufacturers in the UK jewellery sector. Students aged between 16 and 23 will be eligible for the free programme and those who join will start earning a wage on the first day of their apprenticeship. The couse starts at Holts’s Hatton Garden site and then the students will undertake a year-long placement with one of the collaborating employers from across London and the UK.
The course will cover a range of skills from enamelling, hand-engraving, setting and traditional jewellery design to contemporary manfacturing techniques.
Lee Lucas, Principal of Holts Academy of Jewellery commented: “With more than 1m young people currently out of work and over 60,000 more being added to this count each quarter, there has never been a better time for people to look seriously at meaningful vocational learning. Getting vocational training right is crucial if Britain wants to enjoy sustained growth in the long term and that is exactly what the Academy is offering the jewellery industry. This exciting first step in apprenticeships for the jewellery sector has already seen 16 young people start on the path to long-term employment and a legacy of skills that will ensure that they can earn a living for the rest of their lives.”
Michael Morley, Chief Executive of Coutts & Co, also praised the scheme.
“The scheme is a wonderful starting block for the young apprentices - mainly under the age of 18 - who wish to pursue a career in jewellery,” he said. “It sees the students through a combination of teaching and on-the-job working, matches them with employers along with way and concludes with permanent and full-time employment at the end of the year. Throughout the year, Coutts will be working on a series of fashion-related events that will help raise money to sponsor these apprenticeships.”
The Coutts Sponsorship fund will help the Academy to support employers in taking on trainees and any employers wishing to take on an apprentice should contact the Academy’s Apprenticeship Placement Service.
Those wanting to enrol sould contact the Admissions team for more information by either calling 0207 405 0197 or emailing info@holtsacademy.com
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