For National Apprenticeship Week 2026, Deputy Operations Manager (Biology) at the University of York, James Fox, shared their thoughts on the value of apprenticeships, employing apprentices and the benefits that professional registration can afford both employers and apprentices.
The professional standards associated with registration are the hallmarks of everything we want in our apprentices…
James Fox
What inspired your organisation to invest in apprenticeships, and how do they help your workforce develop ‘skills for life’?
The University of York exists for public good. Our founders endowed the University with a strong social purpose, drawing on a rich tradition of social justice and combating inequality in a way that is distinctive to the City of York. With this in mind, the University is fundamentally committed to investing in apprenticeships, as demonstrated by its own apprenticeship programme in the area of Health Sciences.
Apprenticeships provide workforce sustainability and education coupled with on-the-job training and life skills for the apprentice.
How do apprentices contribute to your organisation’s long-term capability, innovation, or culture?
Having apprentices ensures that the University is undertaking one of its fundamental goals, to educate. Educating is our culture and through education, we innovate and nurture the workforce of the future. Many of our apprentices gain full time employment at the University after their apprenticeship, fulfilling the apprentice’s potential and ensuring skills, knowledge and behaviours are maintained within the institute but contribute to workforce sustainability.
Can you share an example of how an apprentice has developed skills that have had a lasting impact on your team or organisation?
The apprentice that joined my team in the Biology Infrastructure Team has developed skills by meeting a skills gap as the “radiation support technician” to support the departmental Radiation Protection Officer. This allowed workload to be spread across the infrastructure team and support a critical and regulated procedure. Our apprentice also took the initiative when a new piece of equipment was purchased for the team, writing the standard operating procedures and risk assessments and training others.
How does professional registration support apprentices in building skills and behaviours that endure throughout their careers?
Professional registration embeds a life-long learning culture in registrants. To maintain registration a CPD return is required annually alongside a CPD plan for the future year. This culture means registrants must continually upskill, which is of benefit to them and our institute. Registration itself is also something of a ‘badge of honour’ – clear audited recognition of the registrants’ knowledge, skills and behaviours.
What benefits have you seen from embedding professional standards into your apprenticeship programmes?
The professional standards associated with registration are the hallmarks of everything we want in our apprentices: applying their knowledge and understanding; taking personal responsibility; developing and implementing interpersonal skills; adopting professional practice; and professionalism. As such, it is a given that we would wish to and have benefited from embedding these standards.
How do you ensure apprentices gain not only technical expertise but also broader skills for life such as leadership, communication, or adaptability?
Broader ‘skills for life’ are, again, things we as an organisation want from our staff and apprentices and are embedded into the apprenticeship programmes. Our apprentices must demonstrate these skills, and we facilitate this by ensuring we give them the opportunity to learn and apply these skills. We offer internal training courses as well as mentorship or coaching and opportunities to apply the learned skills.
What has your organisation learned from working with apprentices, and how has this shaped your approach to workforce development?
From a personal perspective, having an apprentice has reinforced everything I hoped to get from having one! Fundamentally, following university culture I was keen to train and educate new staff, and I gained an apprentice that was keen to learn and apply their knowledge into their on-the-job learning. We were lucky enough to be able to offer employment to the apprentice at the end of the apprenticeship. They proved and continue to prove themself an incredibly valuable member of the team, shaped by their apprenticeship journey. The apprentice has done exceptionally well, and we have been successful in providing sustainability to our workforce.