It is National Apprenticeship Week and we thought we'd take this opportunity to introduce Basil, our Level 6 Architectural Assistant Apprentice, who has been with us for four months.
To explain what a Level 6 apprenticeship is – it is for school leavers or mature students embarking on a degree course who work in practice alongside their studies. The majority of the fees are paid through the apprenticeship levy. Basil is doing his architecture degree course part-time at London South Bank, so just embarking on his Part 1. He works four days in the office and studies one day at university and the course is four years long. So it’s a significant, long-term investment for both the practice and Basil!
Last year we made a conscious decision to offer a Level 6 Apprentice as part of our commitment to improving diversity and inclusion within our profession. We have always encouraged our staff to get involved in outreach opportunities with local schools and colleges, to promote architecture, landscape architecture and urban design. Our hope is that by offering apprenticeships within our Practice, it will give local students the opportunity to follow an architectural career without the financial commitment of the traditional university route, broadening the reach of the profession in terms of social and economic background as well as other types of diversity.
In Basil's own words: “Being an apprentice is great! Nothing compares to being surrounded by the collective knowledge and insight present in the practice. Something I value is the support offered by Levitt Bernstein. You aren’t expected to understand architecture software as soon as you leave school, so the opportunity to be trained up has been greatly beneficial. Also, the practice offers mentoring, which helps me interpret university projects better and helps me understand architecture, within a real world context."
He added, “London South Bank is special. It is one of two universities offering a Level 6 apprenticeship in architecture. Because of this, I am surrounded by other apprentices from all over the UK, who each have their own perspectives and experiences within architecture. Such a diverse setting has inspired the work I do in university and in practice.”
As a Practice, we’re also looking to develop a ‘Foundation Year’ or ‘Part 0’ programme, liaising with local schools to find leavers interested in a career in construction or design who may not be able to commit to a further education immediately, or not sure which avenue to take. We hope they will gain a variety of experience in our multi-disciplinary practice to help them progress to an apprenticeship, degree course or another avenue within the industry. Again, the idea is to attract people who may not otherwise have considered that architecture, landscape or urban design was an option for them.
