In Conversation With: Events Apprenticeships
Events Apprenticeships is the UKEVENTS led initiative, set up to pull together and develop event industry related apprenticeships across the sector, from logistics, production, rigging, lighting, fabrication, security, marketing right through to more senior level apprenticeships such as sustainability and leadership.
The aim is to support companies in understanding the value and processes associated with employing apprentices, to promote event apprenticeships to the wider community and to enable people from all backgrounds and ages to gain experience and relevant professional qualifications.
It also aims to break down barriers to entry, specifically where experience is required, and to attract a broader pipeline of talent in addition to the university graduate route.
To find out more we speak to advisory board members of Event Apprenticeships, Lou Kiwanuka and Laura Capell-Abra. They share how the initiative is benefiting the events industry and provide advice for businesses thinking about hiring apprentices or developing in-house training and development programmes.
Listen below, on Spotify, or Apple Podcasts. A transcript is also available here.
Meet the guests:
Lou Kiwanuka is the owner and founder of OpsShaper, a training and consultancy business focused on enabling brilliance in the Events sector.
Lou believes that a fully informed Ops Prof needs knowledge, experience, network and collaboration in order to have confidence in bringing the unique talents and skills that they bring to the table. Through The Ops Nest and training courses such as Ops Foundation and Ops Knowledge, Lou is committed to developing mechanisms for developing people in events within the global business event operations sector.
Lou has served the industry in a number of additional ways as past chair and board director of ESSA (Event Supplier & Services Association), current chair of the Education Pillar of the Events Apprenticeship Programme with UK Events and as a founding fellow of the Institute of Event Management.
Laura Capell-Abra is the founder of coaching and development company No More Ifs Or Buts with the intention of bringing the benefits of coaching to everyone from apprentices to senior executives, as well as Stress Matters, a B corp certified workplace wellbeing organisation focused on changing cultural approaches to wellbeing, accredited by industry bodies such as Mental Health First Aid England
Having worked in the creative sector for the majority of her career, Laura’s approach to looking after team members in the events and hospitality industries comes from first-hand knowledge of being Managing Director at global corporate events agency. Within her career, she has been commissioned to write for the Dummies Guide to Event Management and was invited to be a Visiting Lecturer at the University of Hertfordshire.
Hugely passionate about supporting the industry develop, Laura has worked with apprentices since the start of the Event Assistant Apprenticeship and is now Chairing the Trailblazer group reviewing the programme.