During the Party Conference season, Dods is running The Apprenticeships Forum; a series of events across Party Conference. Its aim is to have a collaborative movement to raise awareness and provoke policy discussion around the positive impact of Apprenticeships, some of the regulatory issues faced and to discuss what the Parties can do to support UK Apprenticeship programmes.

If you have an interest in driving this debate and would like to find out how to be involved, please email us.

British American Tobacco is one of the world’s leading multinational companies, with brands sold across the world. Alongside our traditional tobacco business, we are also at the forefront of developing products that offer consumers potentially less risky alternatives to regular cigarettes. Our portfolio includes Vype, one of the leading vaping brands in the UK and we continue to expand our portfolio with new and innovative products. We know consumers want product quality and safety in the category which is why we making a significant investment in the innovation, research and development of these products. 

With over 50 years of experience, the CBI is the UK’s most effective and influential business organisation. Proving members with the influence, insight and access they need to plan ahead with confidence and grow. CBI represents members’ views when working with policymakers to deliver a healthy environment for businesses to succeed, create jobs and ultimately, drive economic growth and prosperity.

Chivas Brothers is the Scotch Whisky business of Pernod Ricard and a leading Scotch Whisky producer.  We have 1600 staff in the UK , 16 distilleries and export £1 billion of Scotch a year to over 100 markets. Our award-winning portfolio features some of the world’s most revered Scotch whisky brands including Chivas Regal, the world’s first luxury whisky and No. 1 Scotch whisky in China; Ballantine’s, Europe’s No. 1 Scotch whisky; The Glenlivet, the single malt whisky that set the standards for Speyside malts; and Royal Salute, the world’s only exclusively prestige whisky range. We are dedicated to promoting responsible drinking, protecting our planet, developing our communities and engaging our partners.

Freshwater is an independent communications consultancy with a long heritage working with organisations throughout the rail sector, including owning groups and train operating companies, rolling stock operators and manufacturers, and organisations throughout the supply chain. Freshwater also provides secretariat services to the All Party Parliamentary Group for Rail in the North.

As a full-service communications agency with offices in London and Cardiff, Freshwater delivers the full range of communications services to organisations throughout the UK.

Services include public relations, public affairs and lobbying, stakeholder engagement and statutory and non-statutory community consultation, crisis and issues management, digital and creative media design and production, events management and communications training.

The Holyrood Health & Care Hub is a new initiative to bring together some of the leading organisations involved in health and social care from across Scotland to stimulate debate, inform policy and share some of the challenges and success stories in the sector.

If you have an interest in driving this debate and would like to find out how to be involved, please email us.

The Institute and Faculty of Actuaries (IFoA) is the UK's only chartered professional body dedicated to educating, developing and regulating actuaries based both in the UK and internationally. We represent and regulate our 32,000 members for the benefit of the outside world and oversee their education at all stages of qualification and development throughout their careers. As a professional body we work with employers to encourage and develop their actuarial employees to better themselves, the employer and the financial sector. We strive to act in the public interest by speaking out on issues where actuaries have the expertise to provide analysis and insight on public policy issues.

Key Cities are a group of 23 mid-size cities and urban areas across the UK. Members represent all of the major political parties and places across England and Wales. They are a united voice for urban Britain, working to champion our places. They work with other cities, towns and organisations across local government and beyond to deliver prosperity and a good standard of living and environment for all.

Key Cities produce ideas, research and engagement, both with experts and with ordinary people across our places.  They want a country where no place is left behind and every family and person has opportunities for a better life. Key Cities also believe everyone in our places has a voice, and we act to make sure that voice is listened to.

Key Cities members are: Blackpool, Bournemouth, Bradford, Carlisle, Coventry, Derby, Doncaster, Gloucester, Hull, Kirklees, Medway, Newport, Norwich, Portsmouth, Preston, Plymouth, Salford, Southampton, Southend, Sunderland, Tees Valley, Wakefield, Wolverhampton

London Councils represents London’s 32 boroughs and the City of London. We are a cross-party organisation that works on behalf of all of our member authorities regardless of political persuasion. We make the case to government, the Mayor and others to get the best deal for Londoners and to ensure that our members have the resources, freedoms and powers to do the best possible job for their residents and local businesses.

The Rail Delivery Group exists to enable rail companies to succeed in transforming and delivering a successful railway. Rail plays an ever more crucial role in Britain, with long term growth in passengers and freight. The Rail Delivery Group (RDG) brings together all passenger and freight operators with Network Rail and HS2, providing services and support to enable them to succeed by delivering better services for their customers. This ultimately benefits taxpayers and the economy.  

Raytheon Company is a technology and innovation leader specializing in defense, civil government and cyber security solutions. With over 90 years of worldwide training expertise, Raytheon offers apprenticeship programmes that deliver innovative training and development opportunities to individuals, communities and businesses across the U.K. Investing is people and innovation is a key element of Raytheon's strategy with the company's well-regarded graduate and apprentices programmes enabling it to play a key role in the long-term health of British industry.

Sir Robert McAlpine is a UK-based family-owned building and civil engineering company. Established in 1869, they have been a ubiquitous construction leader over two centuries. The values at the heart of their operations include a commitment to the highest standards of safety, quality, engineering excellence, sustainability, and an unswerving focus on the needs and aspirations of their clients. At Sir Robert McAlpine, addressing the skills gap in the built environment and engineering sectors is a top priority, and they recognise that nurturing a diversity of talent and skills will help them to continue their proud legacy, as we celebrate their 150th anniversary this year.

The Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) is one of the world’s largest engineering institutions with over 168,000 members in 150 countries. 

The IET works to engineer a better world by inspiring, informing and influencing its members, engineers and technicians, and all those who are touched by, or touch, the work of engineers.

The IET is a registered charity and part of this remit is to increase awareness of engineering. This includes accrediting degree courses and apprenticeships in a range of engineering and technology subjects. The IET also awards over £1,000,000 each year to students to support them in their engineering studies.

There is a well-documented skills shortage in engineering and the IET invests considerable time and resource in education programmes to show young people the exciting, creative and rewarding range of careers available and the range of entry routes.