For National Apprenticeship Week 2026, the National Physical Laboratory (NPL) shared their thoughts on the value of apprenticeships and employing apprentices.
Apprenticeships also allow us to tap into a broader talent pool, which fosters diversity and inclusion.
National Physical Laboratory
What inspired your organisation to invest in apprenticeships, and how do they help your workforce develop ‘skills for life’?
As the UK’s National Metrology Institute, NPL’s mission depends on a highly skilled and future‑ready STEM workforce. Like many science‑based organisations, we face a national shortage of specialist technical skills, particularly in niche and emerging skills areas. Investing in apprenticeships was a strategic response to this challenge — enabling us to develop talent aligned directly to our scientific, engineering and digital capability needs, while also creating inclusive entry routes into STEM careers.
NPL’s position as both apprenticeship employer and provider has enabled us to address this challenge through the development of the Level 3 Metrology Technician apprenticeship standard. This standard was first introduced in 2017, to develop essential metrology skills, which are critical to NPL’s talent pipeline, as well as a wide spectrum of sectors and industries that rely on precision measurement and calibration.
How do apprentices contribute to your organisation’s long-term capability, innovation, or culture?
Apprentices are a vital contributor to NPL’s long‑term capability, particularly within specialist areas such as metrology where skills are technical, niche and developed over time. The apprentices who go on to employment at NPL are an integral part of our capability planning as well as long term succession planning.
Apprenticeships also allow us to tap into a broader talent pool, which fosters diversity and inclusion. We have many initiatives to ensure we are continuously learning and striving to create a culture of inclusion, including our Diversity and Inclusion campaign ‘Stronger Together, Everyone Matters’ to challenge stereotypes affecting people’s decisions to work in the STEM sector.
Can you share an example of how an apprentice has developed skills that have had a lasting impact on your team or organisation?
Our commitment has been recognised with the Institute of Physics (IoP) Apprenticeship Employer Award (2021), for inspiring the next generation and fostering innovation.
Several apprentices have also earned prestigious accolades: IoP Apprentice Award 2024 for advancing nuclear technologies; IoP Technical Skills Award 2023 for celebrating the role of apprentices in advancing physics; Richmond College Apprentice of the Year Award 2023; IoP Apprentice Award 2020 for developing a bone-tissue-equivalent thermoplastic material for use in 3D-printing.
Many apprentices secure permanent roles or promotions, contributing to long-term workforce stability. Since 2013, 74% of apprentices who completed their apprenticeship secured a permanent role at NPL, with 61% of those still working here today.
How do you ensure apprentices gain not only technical expertise but also broader skills for life such as leadership, communication, or adaptability?
In any STEM organisation, professional accreditation or higher education is highly valued in our workforce. In addition to their professional accreditation, we also help apprentices develop broader skills through a structured and rounded professional skills development framework to compliment what they learn on the job. This ensures apprentices are equipped not only to perform technically, but to thrive as confident, adaptable professionals throughout their careers. Apprentices undertake dedicated training in areas such as personal effectiveness, teamwork, self-organisation, resilience, autonomy and emotional intelligence – all essential capabilities for navigating complex professional environment. They also have full access to our online learning platform giving them access to a wealth of training modules across a variety of topics.
What has your organisation learned from working with apprentices, and how has this shaped your approach to workforce development?
Working with apprentices has reinforced the value of investing early and intentionally in people. NPL has learned that developing talent internally, with the right support, standards and opportunities leads to stronger engagement, higher retention and a workforce that is closely aligned to organisational needs.
This insight has shaped a broader, joined‑up approach to workforce development at NPL, complementing apprenticeships with graduate programmes, postgraduate training and outreach initiatives. Together, these pathways help build a sustainable, skilled and inclusive STEM workforce equipped with the technical expertise and “skills for life” required for the future.