The Missing First Step: Pre-employment Before Apprenticeships - Sponsored by PeoplePlus (FREE to attend)
How providers can collaborate with national employers to help create better pathways into work.
This webinar is FREE to attend, as it is kindly sponsored by PeoplePlus.
Overview
Apprenticeships are one route into entry-level roles, and policy is backing them. But what happens if someone isn't at that standard yet?
For a lot of people, they aren't. The Milburn review's interim report, published in May 2026, put the number of 16 to 24 year olds not in education, employment or training at close to a million, with more than six in ten never having had a job and around 40% already holding qualifications at A level or above. Readiness and attainment are different things, and for a large share of the people policy is aiming at, an entry-level apprenticeship is the second step, not the first.
The step before it is not hard to describe. It is hard to run at scale. An employer hiring across dozens of sites meets a different provider in every region, with different quality, paperwork and cohort timings, which is why many default to agency hiring instead. Milburn's diagnosis is the same: institutions operating in parallel, commissioned in isolation, with referral routes that never join up.
This session covers what a pre-employment stage needs to cover, what it really takes to run one, and how providers and employers can coordinate their activity so they can serve large and multi-region employers together rather than one area at a time.
A short film follows Liam from referral to a job with Tesco. PeoplePlus coordinates the Social Recruitment Framework, which gives employers a single point of contact across their sites and gives providers access to that demand.
What You Will Learn:
By the end of this session, you’ll be able to:
- Quote the current data on entry-level readiness from the Milburn review and ONS, including NEET numbers, the split between inactivity and unemployment, health-related inactivity and the fall in apprenticeship starts for young people, and use it to make the case internally.
- Explain why an entry-level apprenticeship is a second step rather than a first step for a large share of the people policy is aiming at, and use Milburn's demand-side argument that better-prepared young people arriving at a labour market with fewer entry routes will still be left outside.
- Have a more useful conversation with employers about entry-level recruitment criteria , and know how to reach employers who have already committed to fair-chance hiring through the Social Recruitment Covenant.
- Identify the funding and partnership routes available to pay for pre-employment provision alongside apprenticeship delivery, and understand why so little of the current £8.1 billion spent on benefits for 16 to 24 year olds reaches participation support.
Who Should Attend?
- Providers and training organisations: managing director, operations director, curriculum lead, head of apprenticeships, partnerships and business development leads, particularly those already delivering across more than one region or wanting to.
- Employers: early careers, resourcing and social value leads, apprenticeship managers, HR business partners, with a particular focus on multi-site and national employers in health and social care, construction, logistics, retail and hospitality.
- Commissioners and public sector: local authority and combined authority skills and employment leads, Jobcentre and Youth Guarantee partnership managers.
- Operating level: mostly manager to head of, with some director-level attendance from smaller providers.
Webinar Chair
Paul Stannard, 16-19 Senior Policy Manager, AELP
Paul brings nearly 20 years of sector experience working across varying roles in the post-16 sector working his way up from Sports Lecturer to Vice Principal. Paul has led on 16-19 education programmes for young people, adult education programmes, English and maths, subcontracting and compliance, quality, high needs funding and most recently apprenticeships.
Facilitators
Rachel Richards, Head of Social Impact Operations, PeoplePlus
Rachel Richards is a social value and employability specialist with over 20 years’ experience across skills, apprenticeships, and workforce inclusion. At PeoplePlus, she leads the development of social value solutions that help organisations translate strategy into practical action, connecting employers with inclusive talent pipelines and community partnerships.
Rachel began her career in the apprenticeship sector, progressing from being on apprenticeship herself to leading national operations for one of the UK’s largest training providers. Today, she works with major employers and infrastructure projects to design inclusive recruitment approaches that support underrepresented groups into sustainable employment.
She is a driving force behind collaborative initiatives such as the Social Recruitment Advocacy Group (SRAG) and the Social Recruitment Framework (SRF), bringing employers, providers and community organisations together to tackle labour shortages while creating real social impact.
Liz Squire, Head of Employer Operations, PeoplePlus
With seventeen years' experience at PeoplePlus, Liz Squire is a highly respected leader in employer engagement, workforce development, and social value strategy. Throughout her career, she has held a number of national roles, working closely with large employers to support the recruitment, retention, and development of their workforce. Liz is recognised for delivering innovative solutions that help organisations navigate complex funding landscapes while also designing bespoke commercial initiatives that create lasting impact.
As Head of Employer and Social Value Management, Liz leads the National Employer Engagement Team, working across all PeoplePlus divisions throughout the UK, including partnerships with 53 prisons. Under her leadership, the team manages a portfolio of more than 600 blue-chip employers spanning a wide range of sectors, connecting businesses with talent through PeoplePlus' extensive network of national training providers. Together, PeoplePlus and its partner network support an average of 1,000 individuals every month into meaningful employment opportunities, many of whom have faced significant barriers to entering the labour market.
Alongside her employer engagement responsibilities, Liz is passionate about helping organisations maximise their social impact through effective social value strategies. Through her work with The Social Recruitment Advocacy Group, she supports employers to develop tailored solutions and action plans centred on Recruitment, Retention, Development, and Community. By aligning social value ambitions with commercial objectives, Liz helps organisations create sustainable, measurable change that benefits both businesses and the communities they serve.
Driven by a strong belief in the transformative power of employment, Liz remains committed to creating opportunities for individuals from all backgrounds while helping employers build inclusive, resilient, and socially responsible workforces.
Secure your place!
Fees
FREE for the sector to attend, as this webinar is kindly sponsored by PeoplePlus.
Please use a business email address when registering.
The Missing First Step: Pre-employment Before Apprenticeships - Sponsored by PeoplePlus (FREE to attend)
AELP Webinar
