Bristol students pose questions to schools minister at Lloyds careers workshop

Lloyds Banking Group recently marked this year’s National Apprenticeship Week with a careers workshop and insight day for Bristol students.

A group of 60 Year 10 pupils from Bristol Cathedral Choir School on College Green were invited along for the ‘Made in Bristol’ event at Lloyds’ new Harbourside office.

There they explored alternative routes into careers and apprenticeship opportunities available in and around the city, taking part in interactive workshops.

Damian Hinds MP, minister of state for schools, also paid a visit to share with students his own career journey, what his role entails and the kind of skills needed in the workplace.

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Kathryn Marshall MBE, senior manager of apprenticeships at Lloyds Banking Group and co-vice chair of the Apprenticeship Ambassador Network, said: “Apprenticeships are one of the best ways to close the skills gap that persists across the UK and unlock more of our school leavers’ potential.

“Bristol’s young people have a wealth of potential and we want to help them tap into the career opportunities right on their doorstep.

“The current generation of school leavers increasingly see the appeal of on-the-job learning, so demand for alternative routes into careers is growing, and we know that apprenticeships are also a more effective way of gathering the skills for life.

“At Lloyds Banking Group, we want to champion young people and give them the platform that will help kickstart their career and boost lifetime opportunities.”

The company recently launched its first T-Level programme in Bristol, designed to open up a new route into banking for school leavers and meet increasing demand for digital skills within the sector.

Nine students from Weston College and Strode College joined the programme in September, sharing their experience and the skills they’ve picked up so far with the pupils from Cathedral Choir School.

Paul Mann, careers lead at Bristol Cathedral Choir School, added: “The visit to Lloyds Banking Group’s office was an exceptional experience for our Year 10 students, enabling them to see first-hand the employability skills used in the workplace and harness an opportunity to develop their own.

“Students were excited to know the schools minister himself would be present and thoroughly enjoyed hearing from him, particularly about his own career journey, work experiences and thoughts on employability skills as part of their school curriculum.

“A massive thank you to the team at Lloyds for offering such a rewarding opportunity as well as building networks for the future.

“We look forward to working with the group to continue bringing these invaluable opportunities to life.”

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