Apprenticeship Support and Knowledge (ASK) Programme for Schools & Colleges

The ASK programme was an innovative and hugely successful initiative that increased awareness, knowledge, and uptake of apprenticeships and T levels. Between 2019 and 2025, we provided activities to inspire hundreds of thousands of learners in years 10 to 13, and their parents, including:

• apprenticeship awareness assemblies
• application support workshops
• careers fairs
• parents’ events
• mock interviews
• teacher training and development
• resources and guides.

We worked directly with teachers, careers advisers, parents, and governors in secondary schools and colleges across London – including development schools, whose students have highly complex needs and often require one-to-one support. We assessed the requirements of their students and delivered bespoke packages of support – enabling them to meet their statutory duty to provide impartial IAG, specifically in relation to apprenticeships and T levels. We also engaged local employers to share their experiences of hosting apprenticeships in the workplace.

The ASK programme had an incredible impact on students aged 16 to 19 across London, and we transformed how they thought about apprenticeships and other vocational routes into the job market:

• ASK reached hundreds of thousands of students in schools and colleges
• 98% of students said that ASK had boosted their interest in apprenticeships
• 95% of school staff said our interventions were good or excellent
• 100% of parents said they were more likely to discuss apprenticeships and other vocational routes into work with their children
• over 7,800 activities were delivered between 2021 and 2025.

The reach, impact, and reputation of ASK was so great that, after it ended, the Greater London Authority provided funding for a similar programme, Apprenticeships, Information and Meaningful Encounters (AIM), so that this vital work can continue.