A golden ticket to personal, career and business growth

There is a career doorway in Gloucestershire you can step through that might make you very rich indeed. Certainly, it will lead to a well-paid and exciting job. Here’s how it works.

Dear readers,

Welcome to your first edition of The Raikes Journal of the week, the digital magazine focusing on Gloucestershire’s business community, its education, training and third sectors.

And speaking of education and training that’s the theme of today’s edition. Regular readers might recall a story we did just last month about the challenges around skills and apprenticeships.

We were lucky enough to speak to Andy Bates, of Gloucestershire College - one of the Founding Partners of Raikes - for our article that took a look at just one sector - cyber and the challenges it faced.

Today we’re back there again.

Why?

Partly because since then the Government has revealed its master plan to drive UK plc to greater growth and productivity. It’s solution is apprenticeships.

And on Wednesday Gloucestershire College stages an apprenticeship open evening.

Many businesses, it seems, are still not engaging, some schools, and some attitudes are not changing fast enough. The smart ones are already onboard, and we’ll try and explain why we think that below.

And as we said, we return to Gloucestershire College. This time to take a look at an institution that is itself ahead of the curve, and we take a deep dive into why we and many others think its teaching of cyber apprenticeships, and it degree-level apprenticeship in particular, is so special.

We hope you enjoy the read.

Remember, for every person you refer to The Raikes Journal’s email service you get points towards a free membership allowing you to see beyond our paywalls. Please do sign up (free or otherwise), send the referral link to a friend or colleague, and help us grow.

Have a great week.

Andrew Merrell (editor).

If you have a story, an issue, a news item, a charity or an interview you want us to write about or investigate, challenge the powers that be about, then please email me: andrew.merrell@raikesjournal.co.uk.

NB: We believe Raikes now publishes probably the best-read business-related email ‘newsletter’, pound for pound, in Gloucestershire. Readership is growing and 2025 looks good!

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Apprenticeship reforms set to turbocharge economic growth

The Government has put its faith in apprenticeships to solve the UK’s economic woes - from its skills shortages to its productivity issues. We outline what’s afoot ahead of our main story.

Before we get onto today’s main read, here’s what we gleaned from the Government recently - starting with its belief that apprentices in England will drive £25 billion of economic growth over their lifetime.

This is almost double the £14bn contribution found the last time this was assessed in 2018, which the Government says demonstrates apprentices’ importance to its mission to grow the economy under what it calls its Plan for Change.

And that plan is already in action. The Government points to a 1.3 per cent rise in apprenticeship starts and 1.1 per cent rise in “achievements” in the first quarter following last year’s general election as proof change is happening.

Ahead of this month’s National Apprenticeship Week (10 to 16 February) the Education Secretary, Bridget Phillipson said it was “vital” schools, colleges and businesses continue to champion apprenticeships.

Sweeping reforms were also announced, with Phillipson revealing “a boost in flexibility for employers around English and maths requirements” which she said would lead to “an extra 10,000 apprentices qualified each year in key sectors including construction, healthcare and clean energy”.

There was also a cut in the minimum duration of apprenticeships from 12 to eight months to help get qualified and experienced staff into businesses quicker and news there will be simpler End Point Assessments for those on apprenticeships.

It follows the Government announcement in September that a new skills and growth levy will replace the existing apprenticeship levy. And there was news of new foundation apprenticeships and the introduction of a level seven apprenticeships – equivalent to a master’s degree – outside of the levy.

Some of the detail is still missing, but the direction seems clear. Apprenticeships are the answer to UK plcs great skills shortage and seemingly fruitless search for better productivity.

According to the Government employer investment in training has been in steady decline over the past decade, with training expenditure at its lowest level since records began in 2011. Investment per employee is down by 19 per cent in real terms.

This is the Government putting the arm of big business behind its back and forcing it to pay for that training which it believes will deliver that great productivity and close the gap on the likes of France and Germany - whose output is apparently 20 per cent greater than ours.

Here in Gloucestershire, in terms of apprenticeships Gloucestershire College is already leading the way. The changes only underline its importance as a catalyst for our own growth and productivity.

On Wednesday 26 February it opens its doors between 5pm and 8pm to employers and wannabe apprentices to showcase the many paths it already has on offer, the connections to county employers it already has, how you can hook your business up (no matter what the size) to the college and explore the benefits of apprenticeships (you can find our more about that event here).

The college is also the only further education college in England where you can study a cyber degree apprenticeship accredited by the National Centre for Cyber Security (think GCHQ).

We chose to focus here for our main article below, and lift the lid on just why the likes of the NCSC think the college is leading the way.

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Black & White Ball – A Night of Glamour and Giving

Every Monday we try and draw your eye to a charity hard at work in Gloucestershire. This week we help the Longfield Community Hospice spread the word about its Black & White Ball - a hugely important fundraiser for the work it does. It’s your chance to help support hospice care in the home in the county provided by the Minchinhampton-based charity, while also getting dressed up and having a damn good evening out. Due to take place at De Vere Cotswold Waterpark Hotel on Saturday, 29 March 2025, complete with “a three-course meal, live entertainment, and a stylish black-tie atmosphere”. Every ticket bought will help Longfield Hospice provide services from hospice at home to wellbeing services, counselling, and bereavement support. Find out more here.

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* The Raikes Journal is a community interest company. Everything you read by us is made possible by our incredible Founding Partners: QuoLux, Willans LLP, Gloucestershire College, Merrell People and Randall & Payne, our sponsors Hartpury University and Hartpury College, our Founding Members and wonderful paying subscribers.

If you subscribe and invite friends to The Raike Journal you will earn rewards towards complimentary membership (three referrals will get you one month, 10 will get you three months, and 25 will win you six months).

If you upgrade to paid you’ll be part of this CIC too. We are dedicated to delivering quality journalism for Gloucestershire, to championing the county, in particular its businesses, charities, education and training providers, and to helping create an even stronger community. If you upgrade to paid you will be able to see past the paywalls often put on our second and third email editions of the week, that lock all our archive after two weeks and lock our rolling Top 100 Businesses in Gloucestershire series. You will be able to comment on our stories too. You’ll be helping make this CIC sustainable to deliver more original articles on our county.

You can sign up to receive your two extra editions a week and see past all our paywalls for just £2.30 a week - or £1.80 a week if two or more people sign up at once. Or go all in and become one of our Founding Partners or Founding Members!

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A golden ticket to personal, career and business growth

There is a doorway marked ‘apprenticeships’ in Gloucestershire you can step through that might make you very rich indeed. Certainly, it will lead to a well-paid and exciting job. Here’s how it works.

By Andrew Merrell.

We’re sat in the Advanced Digital Academy (ADA) at Gloucestershire College’s Cheltenham campus, a £3 million-plus suite of rooms for computer studies students, in the same building as the business workspace Hub8 GC (sister to the town centre Hub8 by Plexal in the MX centre).

It’s half term. As we’ve walked through from reception to find a quiet classroom – which even this week seems tricky - we passed members of the influential cyber-focused ecosystem, CyNam, plotting their next move.

Upstairs there’s a cyber bootcamp run by Rob Stemp (who co-founded cyber security specialists Red Maple) for anyone interested in the sector, in developing their skills and in rubbing shoulders with representatives from businesses keen to share and perhaps spot talent.

Mark Higgins, a lecturer (senior assesor and trainer) in computer studies for the college, is telling me how he was sat at home one evening watching the BBC TV series The Great British Bake Off when inspiration struck.