October 2026 - Edition 8 - New term, new momentum and plenty happening across EMAAN
 Welcome to the October edition of the East Midlands Apprenticeship Ambassador Network newsletter. The new academic year is now firmly underway and, across the East Midlands, apprentices are starting new roles, schools and colleges are beginning another busy programme of careers activity, employers are thinking about their future talent and our ambassadors are once again getting out across the region to champion apprenticeships. It also happens to be awards season, which gives us another reason to celebrate the brilliant apprentices, employers, training providers and organisations helping apprenticeships thrive. For EMAAN, the next few months are looking particularly busy. We already have a packed calendar of school and college activity, our second season of the EMAAN Podcast has now been filmed, our new Regional Champions are getting ready to support activity across their counties, we’re planning our next face-to-face network meeting and preparations for National Apprenticeship Week 2027 are beginning to gather pace. Most importantly, there are lots of ways for ambassadors to be part of it. Whether you can give an hour to speak to a group of students, attend a careers fair, share your apprenticeship journey, support another ambassador, connect us with an employer or simply bring a new idea to the network, every contribution helps us make apprenticeships more visible and accessible across the East Midlands. Here’s what’s happening. |
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Free Team-Building Activity for EMAAN AmbassadorsWe’re delighted to offer EMAAN ambassadors the opportunity to take part in a free team-building afternoon at Leicester Outdoor Pursuits Centre on 5 November from 3pm till 8pm. The afternoon will include a mix of activities designed to get everyone working together, having fun and trying something a little different, including:
It’s a great chance to meet other ambassadors, build connections across the network and enjoy some time together outside of our usual meetings and events. Location: Leicester Outdoor Pursuits Centre, Loughborough Road, Leicester, LE4 5PNDate: 5 NovemberTime: From 3pm till 8pmCost: Free Places are strictly limited to 20, so if you’d like to join us, please register as soon as possible. |
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Its Award Season - Good Luck |
Awards season is officially here. Over the coming weeks, apprenticeship awards ceremonies will be taking place across England, recognising the apprentices, employers and organisations making an extraordinary contribution to apprenticeships. Regional events begin with Yorkshire and the Humber on 29 September, North East on 30 September, North West on 1 October, East of England on 6 October, East Midlands on 7 October, West Midlands on 8 October, South West on 13 October, South East on 14 October, London on 15 October. For us, of course, 7 October in Leicester is a particularly important date, as the East Midlands celebrates its finalists. We know that a number of EMAAN ambassadors, ambassador organisations and apprenticeship supporters across the network are represented throughout awards season, so we want to wish every finalist the very best of luck. Whatever happens on the night, being recognised as a finalist is something worth celebrating, and it is fantastic to see so many people connected with apprenticeships receiving recognition for the work they do. Good luck to everyone involved.
 Back together face to face We’re also looking forward to bringing the network together again for our next EMAAN face-to-face meeting Date 10th December 2026 Time 10:00-15:30 Where: Mediq 237 Arundel Ave, Castle Donington, Derby DE74 2HJ These meetings are an opportunity to do much more than simply share updates. They give ambassadors from across the region the chance to meet one another, exchange ideas, get your hands on merchandise and materials, to understand what is happening nationally and regionally and help shape what EMAAN does next. The programme will include:
If you would like to attend or get involved with the planning group please complete the form here: |
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EMAAN Podcast Season 2 – filming complete That’s a wrap on filming for Season 2 of the EMAAN Podcast. Following two fantastic filming days, we now have a brilliant collection of conversations featuring apprentices, employers and ambassadors from across the network. One of the best things about filming this series has been hearing just how varied the apprenticeship experience can be. Different sectors, different career journeys and very different routes into apprenticeships, but a shared enthusiasm for helping more people understand the opportunities available to them. A huge thank you to all of the ambassadors who gave their time, shared their stories and got involved. We are now deep into the editing phase, working through all of that fantastic content and getting the new season ready to share. Thanks to: Charlotte BakerJess BrayCadie KearneyKarl EvansAmeilia JordanRaul AbubakarPhilip DaltonCharlie GresswellTegan Hinch and as always Iqra Jaffary for organising the project. There are plenty of great conversations coming. |
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Quarterly reporting – due 12 OctoberOur next round of EMAAN quarterly reporting is now due, and we’re asking all ambassadors to take a few minutes to complete the reporting form by Friday 9 October 2026. The information you provide helps us understand the reach and impact of the network across the East Midlands, including the activity taking place in schools and colleges, engagement with SMEs and, from this quarter, our work supporting young people who are NEET or at risk of becoming NEET. Even if your activity has been relatively light this quarter, please still complete the form. Having a full picture across the network is really important and helps us demonstrate the collective contribution our ambassadors are making. Complete the quarterly reporting form here Thank you for taking the time to complete it and for everything you continue to do as part of EMAAN. |
Meet your Regional ChampionsAnother important development for EMAAN this year is the introduction of our new Regional Champions. Across Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Northamptonshire and Nottinghamshire, ambassadors are stepping forward to help strengthen the network at county level. Our Regional Champions will help us create stronger local connections between ambassadors, identify opportunities to get involved, support school and employer engagement and make it easier for members to understand what is happening in their part of the region. We are happy to announce are current regional champions: We’ll also be connecting ambassadors with their relevant Regional Champions so there is a clear local point of contact for ideas, opportunities and collaboration. This isn’t about creating another layer of administration. It is about making EMAAN more connected locally and making it easier for ambassadors to participate. So when your Regional Champion gets in touch, please say hello, share what you are already doing and tell them where you would like to get involved. County Apprentice Champion Employer Champion Derbyshire Hammad Lateef Philip Dalton Leicestershire Julia Karbrownik Karl Evans Lincolnshire Elle Barnaby Vacant Northamptonshire Raul Abubakar Seyda Tabassum Nottinghamshire Alice Prett Vacant
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 Upcoming opportunities to get involvedThe new academic year has brought a huge number of requests from schools and colleges wanting apprentices and employers to speak directly to their students. These events are one of the simplest and most valuable ways to support EMAAN. You do not need to be a professional speaker. In many cases, schools simply want somebody who can talk honestly about apprenticeships, explain what the experience is actually like and answer students’ questions. This year we’re particularly encouraging every EMAAN ambassador to support at least one school or college activity, where they are able to do so. You can see the school we are currently targeting here via our Maply link: View our target schools by clicking here Below is a list of schools looking for an ambassador visit: October 20265 October – Rushey Mead Academy, LeicestershirePost-16 Careers Fair 7 October – Da Vinci Academy, DerbyshirePost-16 Evening, 4:00pm–6:00pm 7 October – The Oakwood Academy, NottinghamshireCareers Fair, 8:00am–3:10pm 8 October – The Samworth Church Academy, NottinghamshireCareers Fair, 8:00am–5:30pm 8 October – The Fernwood School, NottinghamshireCareers Convention 8 October – Cowley Academy, LincolnshireCareers Fair 8 October – The Market Bosworth School, LeicestershirePost-16 Evening 13 October – Wrenn School, NorthamptonshireMock Interviews, 9:00am–3:10pm 13 October – The Priory Belvoir Academy, LeicestershireKS4 Information Event 13 October – Judgemeadow Community College, LeicestershireCollege and Careers Fair 14 October – Swanwick Hall School / The Two Counties Trust, DerbyshireCareers Fair, 8:00am–4:00pm 14 October – Madani Schools Federation, LeicestershireCareers Event 15 October – Bourne Academy, LincolnshireCareers Fair 20 October – Whittington Green School, DerbyshirePost-16 Event and Apprenticeship Information 22 October – Granville Academy, DerbyshireCareers Fair, 4:30pm–6:30pm November 20262 November – The Bemrose School, DerbyshireYear 8 Enterprise Day, 8:30am–1:50pm 5 November – Park Vale Academy, NottinghamshireCareers Fair, 8:00am–12:30pm 5 November – Spalding Academy, LincolnshireCareers Fair 10 November – David Nieper Academy, DerbyshireCareers Fair, 12:00pm–4:30pm 11 November – Fullhurst Community College, LeicestershireCareers Fair 19 November – Giles Academy, LincolnshireCareers Fair 23 November – Kibworth Mead Academy, LeicestershireYear 9 Apprenticeship Speed Networking December 20261 December – The Brunts Academy, NottinghamshireMock Interviews 2 December – The Brunts Academy, NottinghamshireMock Interviews Flexible opportunitiesNot everything needs an entire day. We also have a number of activities where dates can be arranged around ambassador availability. Landau Forte College, DerbyApprentice Experience TalkAny Wednesday, 1:30pm–2:30pm David Nieper Academy, DerbyshireApprenticeship-focused assemblies for Years 8 and 9Date to be confirmed Avanti Fields School, LeicestershireYear 8 Apprenticeship Workshop or AssemblyTo take place before January 2027 Avanti Fields School, LeicestershireYear 9 Apprenticeship Workshop or AssemblyTo take place before January 2027 Nottingham College, NottinghamshireMeet the Employer Careers FairDate to be confirmed Magnus Academy, NottinghamshireCareers FairDate to be confirmed Rawlins Academy, LeicestershireYear 10 Careers DayDate to be confirmed Wrenn School, NorthamptonshireSTEM Apprenticeship PanelDate to be confirmed Looking ahead to 2027Our diary is already filling well into the next calendar year. 14 January – Skegness Grammar School, LincolnshireAnnual Careers Fair January 2027 – The Nottingham Emmanuel School, NottinghamshireApplying for Apprenticeships WorkshopsWeeks commencing 11, 18 or 25 January, with Wednesday, Thursday and Friday session options 27 January – Eckington School, DerbyshireWhole School Careers Fair, 9:00am–1:20pm 3 February – University Academy Long Sutton, LincolnshireSuper Learning Day: STEM Workshops for Years 7, 8, 10 and 11 3 or 10 February – The Nottingham Emmanuel School, NottinghamshireIntroduction to Apprenticeships Assembly, 8:30am–9:00am 9 February – Quarrydale Academy, NottinghamshireYear 11 Apprenticeship Talk 23 February – Netherthorpe School, DerbyshireSixth Form Parents’ Evening, 3:30pm–6:30pm 1–5 March – University Academy Long Sutton, LincolnshireNational Careers Week Year Group Assemblies 4 March – Rushey Mead Academy, LeicestershireApprenticeship Information Assembly 9 March – Lancaster Academy, LeicestershireLiving Library 26 April – University Academy Long Sutton, LincolnshireSuper Learning Day: STEM Workshops for Years 9 and 10 6 May – Lancaster Academy, LeicestershireYear 10 Taster Workshops May – The Brunts Academy, NottinghamshireYear 10 Work Experience 10 June – Netherthorpe School, DerbyshireYear 12 Careers Drop Down Morning, 8:45am–12:30pm 16 July – Netherthorpe School, DerbyshireYear 10 and Year 12 Mock Interview Event, 8:30am–3:10pm There will also be opportunities with Fullhurst Community College during National Apprenticeship Week and National Careers Week 2027, as well as a Year 11 Apprenticeship Assembly at Whittington Green School.
Email us here to sign up to one of the outreach events Can you support one?You do not have to commit to dozens of events to make a difference. If every ambassador across EMAAN supported just one additional activity, think about how many more young people across the East Midlands would have the opportunity to hear directly from someone who understands apprenticeships. If you can support one of the events above, or would like us to help find an opportunity near you, please get in touch with the EMAAN team. And if your organisation already has school, college or community activity planned, let us know that too. We want to understand and celebrate the full reach of our ambassador network. |
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