News & Blog

Equipping Apprentices with Skills for the Future The Oxfordshire Advanced Skills (OAS) training centre is celebrating its one-year anniversary as the first learners in the state-of-the-art Culham-based facility begin their on-the-job training. OAS, based at Culham Science Centre near Abingdon, offers high quality training for apprentice engineers and technicians at technology businesses in the Thames…

There are many benefits to apprenticeships, including being able to earn while you learn and gaining on-the-job experience as you study that sets you apart from those going to university. However, whilst many know about apprenticeship programmes, we often get asked about the types of roles our apprentices go into and what they involve. The…

Companies set to benefit from Plan for Jobs payments Oxfordshire Advanced Skills is urging companies to act quickly to take advantage of the Government’s new scheme to pay bonuses to employers who take on apprentices. OAS team, which is managed by apprentice training provider MTC Apprenticeships, is offering advice to companies who want to access…

Apprentice applicants at record high Oxfordshire Advanced Skills has seen a surge in applications from prospective apprentices, with nearly 200 young people looking to join the award-winning programme. Having successfully passed OAS’s rigorous screening process and assessment centre, 80 ambitious candidates are in a talent pool ready to be matched with employers. OAS is now…

AS Scientific Products, one of the world’s major suppliers of cryogenic engineering equipment, has chosen OAS to train its new apprentices from September 2020 in a move to continue its growth and seed its next generation of engineers. The new partnership will initially see AS Scientific Products work in collaboration with the recruitment team at…

A UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) apprentice at Oxfordshire Advanced Skills is through to the finals of the Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic Apprentice Awards. Harrison Shirley has been shortlisted in the Engineering and Manufacturing category at the BAME Apprentice Awards, which aim to showcase talent and diversity within BAME communities. Harrison, who at 17…

Oxfordshire Advanced Skills has been held up as a national example of excellence in the UK Government’s new Research & Development Roadmap. The roadmap sets out the UK’s vision and ambition for science, research and innovation. It follows the Government’s commitment at the last Budget to increase public investment in R&D to £22 billion by…

On Monday 29th June, the OAS Training Centre officially re-opened its doors for learners to resume practical sessions. Our apprentices have now spent a few weeks in the centre and are pleased to be back, following over three months of predominantly theory-based virtual learning. The COVID-19 pandemic for OAS, like all other businesses, was something…

Last week we caught up with our Recruitment Lead, Pam Ritchie, to find out how she has been supporting our applicants and employer partners throughout the recent lockdown to achieve some outstanding results. Pam’s primary role is to recruit talented and motivated apprentices looking to start their careers in engineering and matching them up with…

Apprenticeships offer a great opportunity to gain valuable work experience whilst honing your knowledge and skills through a qualification recognised by industry. UKAEA Mechanical Engineering Apprentice, Matthew Dearing, explains why this balance is so important to him and his career aspirations. During his apprenticeship, Matthew has worked on complex and experimental projects, as well as…