Weekly Roundup – Week 7
National Apprenticeship Week #NAW2025
Throughout this week, we’ve been active across our social media channels talking all things apprenticeships with GEM Partnership. Each day had a daily theme…
Monday – Skills For Life:
Whether you’re growing your business, changing your career or just starting out, it all starts with skills.
Young people – if you’re in education or just about to leave, at GEM Partnership we can help you work out your options!
Adults – you can view your options for learning skills that will help you change or progress your career!
Businesses – we can support you in your futureproofing and workforce development through our training opportunities for your existing staff or the recruitment and training of new staff!
We can help maximise the return on investment you will experience when hiring apprentices or other learners and demonstrate and emphasise the importance of using these programmes to address industry skills shortages.
Tuesday – Employer Tuesday
Wednesday – Apprentice Wednesday
Thursday – T Level Thursday
Friday – Celebration Friday
Labour Market Report – January 2025
The Centre for Policy Studies has published its report, “Punching Down,” highlighting that the government’s jobs tax will disproportionately affect the lowest-paid workers. The recent increase in employer National Insurance (NI) contributions and the significant reduction in the threshold at which it is payable means that, for a full-time minimum wage worker, 21.3% of their labour cost will now go toward taxes. Employers will pay £2,583 in employer NI, up from £1,617 in 2024, representing a 60% increase in weekly costs per minimum wage employee… continue reading
GEM Partnership
Quality Lead
Permanent
Despatch Manager – Gateshead
Account Executive – Peterlee
Apprenticeships
Supply Chain Apprentice – Peterlee
Lean Manufacturing Apprentice – Peterlee
Business Admin Apprentice – Stockton-on-Tees
Temporary
Packing Operative (Lates) – Newton Aycliffe
FLT Reach Driver (Nights) – Billingham
FLT Reach Driver (Days) – Billingham
Warehouse Operative – Billingham
Assembly Operative (Twilight) – Newton Aycliffe
Production Operative – Newton Aycliffe
Production Operative (Days & Nights) – Newton Aycliffe
FLT Reach Driver – Newton Aycliffe
CNC Operator – Ferryhill
TIG Welder – Ferryhill
Wet Paint Sprayer – Ferryhill
Quality Auditor – Seaham
Production Operative – Houghton Le Spring
Quality Shift Inspector – Sedgefield
Yardman – Sedgefield
Government’s growth ambitions ‘fall short’ on skills and apprenticeships, says CIPD
An ‘apprenticeship guarantee’ for all young people is required to develop the skills and capabilities needed to deliver economic growth, the CIPD has advised.
As part of National Apprenticeship Week this week (10-16 February), the organisation has urged the government to invest in apprenticeships and skills development for those aged 16 to 24. This would help to address workforce shortages while enabling employers to develop their talent pipelines, it said… continue reading
AI is transforming the employee experience, and not always for the better
AI dominated workplace conversations in 2024, and early signs suggest that’s unlikely to change this year. While the media, markets and politicians continue to fuel the hype, the reality often falls short for businesses and employees tasked with delivering real results on the ground. News of the ‘false starts’ in government departments attempting and failing to adopt the technology is just the latest reminder that embracing AI isn’t as straightforward as it seems… continue reading
