Apprenticeships England
Gower College Swansea is one of Wales’ leading apprenticeship providers, with a strong background in adult education having worked with thousands of apprentices and employers in both Wales and England.
We are on the Register of Approved Training Providers (RoATP) to deliver apprenticeships to English levy paying organisations. Our qualification achievement rates for 18/19 (latest validated data available) are excellent at 94.6% with 81.4% timely achievement.
The College is renowned for its positive and proactive approach to working with employers. In 2024 we were awarded the Widening Participation award in the 2023/24 Association of Colleges ‘Beacon Awards’, having previously won Care Services Apprenticeship Provider of the Year and the Special Needs and Disability (SEND) Apprenticeship Champion in 2022. The award was in recognition of our ‘Apprenticeships for All’ initiative, which significantly increased the recruitment numbers and achievement rates of apprentices with a disability, additional learning need, physical or mental health condition.
Apprenticeship routes
We specialise in four key areas in England; Facilities Management, Continuous Improvement, Leadership and Management as well as Electronics.
Facilities Management
One of the very few qualifications recognised in the UK within this industry, you and/or your workforce will gain efficient problem solving skills and a comprehensive understanding of the sector to deliver savings and efficiencies wherever possible in building maintenance.
Areas covered include health and safety, emergencies, energy and waste management, environmental protection and security.
Continuous Improvement
This route aims to implement a culture of continuous improvement within an organisation, where productivity and performance will be positively impacted. You and/or your workforce will learn to implement practices that can maximise profit by eliminating waste, improving workflow as well as reducing costs and variation.
Areas covered include waste elimination, environmental procedures, quality control, communication and problem solving.
Leadership and Management
Leadership and Management focuses on upskilling yourself and/or your workforce’s leadership and management skills to fill key management positions within your organisation. The routes will help to strengthen and retain your workforce, whilst achieving operational and strategic objectives.
Areas covered within the programmes include project management, implementing operational plans, team leadership, financial and talent management.
Electronics
A 100% bespoke apprenticeship developed to suit industry standards and requirements. The qualification was originally developed by Gower College Swansea tutors with extensive industry experience together with leading organisations such as Sony and Amazon.
Areas covered include robotics, maths, electrical principles, engineering as well as health and safety.
Employer stories
We work with a wide-range of employers, both big and small, in a variety of different industries and sectors.
Hear what some of our employer partners have to say!
Click the button in the top right of the video to view more.
Award winning
Gower College Swansea is a finalist in the Widening Participation category of the 2023/24 Association of Colleges ‘Beacon Awards’. This is a result of the College’s highly successful ‘Apprenticeships for All’ initiative and its impact in significantly increasing the recruitment numbers and achievement rates of apprentices with a disability, additional learning need, physical or mental health condition.
In 2022/23, Gower College Swansea won a Beacon Award for Internationalisation as a result of the broad range of initiatives to develop our learners, employers, staff and communities.
The College previously won two UK Annual Apprenticeship Conference (AAC) Awards 2022:
- SEND Champion of the Year (Provider) 2022
- Health and Care Apprenticeship Provider of the Year 2022
In 2022, Rachel Jones, Gower College Swansea’s Director of Work Based Learning, won an Institute of Directors (‘IoD’) Wales Award in the Skills category.
The College won the 2021 UK Times Educational Supplement (TES) FE Award for Apprenticeship Programme of the Year.
We were also crowned winners in two categories in the UK Annual AAC Awards in 2021.
- Engineering and Manufacturing Apprenticeship Provider of the Year 2021
- Digital Apprenticeship Provider of the Year 2021
Prior to this, we previously won two categories in the UK AAC Awards in 2019.
- Health and Science Apprenticeship Provider of the Year 2019
- Outstanding Contribution to the Development of Apprenticeships, Steve Williams 2019
Apprenticeship Awards
This year’s Apprenticeship Awards took place on Monday 5 February 2024.
Apprentice benefits
Prospective apprentices will benefit in a number of ways by studying an apprenticeship with the College, including:
- Gain hands-on, real-world experience
- Earn a salary whilst undertaking your training and studies
- Be supported by tutors/assessors who have exceptional industry-gained experience
- Gain an industry-recognised qualification
- Access to our library services, as well as Smart Assessor
- Access to the Gower College Swansea Sport Centre, as well as discounted membership
- Discounted prices at our Broadway Hair, Beauty and Holistic Centre
- Eligibility to apply for an Apprenticeship Extra NUS student discount card
- Access to Moodle and Canvas learning resources
Employer benefits
By working with Gower College Swansea, employers will benefit from:
- Increased employee productivity
- Improved staff morale and performance
- Greater in-house company skill set
- Access to funding routes and grants
- Reduced training and recruitment costs
- The ability to fill skill gaps through recruiting new talent or upskilling existing staff
Common FAQ’s
Apprenticeships allow learners to gain access to real-world training whilst gaining a recognised qualification. You will earn whilst you learn, and develop the skills and knowledge that employers are looking for.
Not at all, apprenticeships can be used by experienced professionals to upskill and advance your career. However, to be eligible for apprenticeship funding, you must be employed for more than 16 hours per week and be based in Wales.
Apprenticeship durations will vary dependent on the level being undertaken, but most apprenticeships take between 12-24 months to complete.
Apprenticeships can begin at any point in the year, however some subjects may begin in September in line with the academic year.
Apply for an Apprenticeship
Applications for apprenticeships are now open. If you have any questions about apprenticeships, please contact training@gcs.ac.uk or 01792 284400