Lloyds Banking Group announced its involvement in government-backed initiative Trailblazer Apprenticeships

LONDON, 6-3-2014 — /EuropaWire/ — Lloyds Banking Group is re-emphasising its commitment to Apprenticeships at 10 Downing Street today, at an event to announce its involvement in Trailblazers, a new government-backed scheme to directly involve employers in the development of improved Apprenticeship programmes.

Helping Britain Prosper
This announcement falls during the week the Group revealed its full Helping Britain Prosper Plan where, for the first time, it revealed seven separate and significant public commitments to address some of the big issues facing Britain today. This includes the Group’s pledge to create 5,000 Apprenticeship opportunities by 2017, which will be delivered as part of its commitment to help businesses and individuals succeed with expert mentoring and training.

Trailblazer Apprenticeships
Trailblazers will give Lloyds Banking Group and other financial services organisations signed up to the initiative the opportunity to lead on the development of new standards for Apprenticeships within the sector. The government-backed initiative allows employers to design the schemes and ways of assessing Apprentices that work effectively for their own industry.

Today’s event at 10 Downing Street will see businesses from across all eight sectors involved in Trailblazers, including Lloyds Banking Group, showcasing their plans for the future of Apprenticeships.

Discussing Lloyds’ involvement in the Trailblazer project, Rupert McNeil, Group Human Resources Director, said: “Apprenticeships are a way to harness a diverse and exciting new pipeline of talent that would otherwise be missed through our regular recruitment process. As an employer that places high value on the development of our Apprentices, we have an incredible opportunity, through the Trailblazer initiative, to help improve schemes so that they better serve the needs of our industry and better prepare Apprentices for their future careers.”

Commending Lloyds Banking Group for its commitment to Apprentices, Vince Cable, Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, said: “Apprenticeships are a tried and tested way for employers to grow their talent while developing a motivated and skilled workforce. They are also a sound investment in the future competitiveness of our country. We need more organisations to follow the example set by Lloyds Banking Group and help provide young people with the opportunity to get on the career ladder.”

Learn more…

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Apprentices joining the Group are offered:

A permanent role

Full pay and benefits equivalent to other new joiners

Apprentices become part of a supported community – created especially to guide them through their apprenticeship which includes an on-line hub hosting a forum and news channel http://www.lloydsbankinggroupapprentices.com

A trained workforce
The Group has already implemented the Chartered Banker Foundation Standard for Professional Bankers, and over 50,000 customer facing colleagues across the Group have been reviewed against the criteria. As a result, the Group already has the largest workforce in the UK banking industry to have achieved this standard.

About Lloyds Banking Group’s Helping Britain Prosper Plan:
In developing the Helping Britain Prosper Plan over the past year, Lloyds Banking Group has worked with a range of stakeholders and key opinion formers, including The Group’s independent stakeholder panel.

Working with the professional services organisation EY, the underpinning prosper metrics that support the plan, have been designed based on a number of external benchmarks including; the Legatum Prosperity Index, Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development Better Life Index and the UK Quality of Life Indicators. This has allowed the Group to identify the best ways in which it can help Britain prosper through specific business activities and investments. The Helping Britain Prosper Plan documents the Group’s intention to focus on these activities, setting out clear commitments to help it measure its progress.

The Plan will provide a set of commitments that will be independently measured and monitored, focused on the areas where the Group can make the biggest difference and where it has the power to influence the most change for the benefit of customers and communities across the UK. Lloyds Banking Group is the first bank to measure its economic and social impact in this way.

About Lloyds Banking Group
With a heritage of making a difference within its communities that spans decades, last year Lloyds Banking Group invested £85m in UK Communities. Through its branches and businesses the Group has the potential to reach every family and community in the UK, and places immense value on its commitment to helping Britain prosper. Driven by its desire to give back to the communities in which it operates, the Group supports a wide range of ground breaking programmes. Lloyds Scholars, Money for Life, Lloyds Bank and Bank of Scotland Community Fund, the School for Social Entrepreneurs, Business Connectors, Lloyds Bank Foundations and the Bank of Scotland Foundation are some, but not exhaustive, examples of the programmes it supports.

For further information please contact Caroline Davy on
02076163248/07775 644312 or by email caroline.davy@lloydsbanking.com