Achieving an apprenticeship takes considerable effort. So being able to celebrate that achievement in person with our Lloyds Banking Group apprentices was a joy.
This was a delayed event after the rail strikes in late 2022 meant having to cancel the event at short notice. But this time, it went ahead successfully in one of our London centres.
Apprentices travelled from across the country to take part and were invited to bring a workplace supporter or line manager with them.
Their sense of pride was palpable as they came up to receive their certificates from Kaplan’s CEO and there were additional awards for apprentices in each category who had been outstanding during their personal development, which were presented by Kathryn Marshall the Senior Manager for Apprenticeships at Lloyds Banking Group.
After a good lunch, a couple of speeches (including from a former apprentice who gave excellent career progression advice) and the photo opportunities in cap and gown, we headed off to the Bank of England museum. The apprentices learnt about how the bank was formed, some of its famous former employees, the myriad of security measures in creating bank notes and the detail within each note and everyone lifted a bar of gold, which was surprisingly heavy.
These events take some planning and time, but it’s absolutely worthwhile.
The apprentices were beaming throughout and left happy that their dedication and hard work had been recognised. It was also an opportunity to thank the line managers and apprentice supporters across Lloyds Banking Group, who have been so instrumental in the apprentices’ progression.