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6 News & Sports mojatu .com THE CHANGING PERCEPTIONS OF APPRENTICESHIPS The 2016 National Apprenticeship Week (NAW 2016) was held this March to celebrate apprenticeships and the positive impact they have on individuals, businesses and the wider economy. The key themes for National Apprenticeship Week 2016 are: “An apprenticeship can take you anywhere”, with a particular focus on higher skills to show how young people, entrepreneurs and businesses can “rise to the top” through traineeships and apprenticeships. Apprenticeships have long been perceived as a secondary route for young people to take in their education, particularly in comparison to A Levels or university. In 2014/15, some schools and colleges were found not to promote apprenticeships as they favoured university route. Some parents also shared similar thoughts. This was mainly attributed to lack of information on Apprenticeships. In a research carried out by Northern Advisory Council for Further Education (NACFE) found that as of 2016, these views are changing. This is illustrated in the infographic.