Are You Ready for National Apprenticeship Week? How Businesses Can Prepare
National Apprenticeship Week (9-15 February 2026) is fast approaching, and many businesses are asking the same question: what can we do to take part?
The good news is that participating does not need to be complicated or time consuming. With a little preparation, businesses can meaningfully recognise their apprentices and show support for skills development across their workforce.
Taking time now to plan ahead makes it easier to celebrate apprentices during the week itself and ensures recognition feels genuine rather than last minute.
What businesses can do now to prepare:
1. Decide How You Want to Participate
Participation can be simple or more visible, depending on your workplace. Some businesses may choose to recognise apprentices internally, while others may prefer to share stories more broadly. Deciding early helps guide the rest of your planning.
This might include acknowledging apprentices in team meetings, sharing messages internally, or posting on social media during the week.
2. Talk With Your Apprentices and Supervisors
Before the week begins, take time to speak with apprentices and their supervisors. Ask how they would like to be recognised and ensure they are comfortable with any public acknowledgment. This helps create a positive experience and ensures recognition feels respectful and inclusive.
These conversations can also help identify stories or moments worth highlighting during the week.
3. Gather Photos, Quotes or Short Stories
Having content ready makes participation easier once National Apprenticeship Week begins. Simple photos of apprentices at work, short quotes about what they enjoy in their role, or brief reflections from supervisors can all be effective.
Content does not need to be polished or professional. Authentic workplace moments often resonate the most.
Social media templates are available in our Resources Hub to help highlight your content.
4. Plan Simple Recognition Activities
Recognition does not need to involve formal events. Small gestures such as a team morning tea, a thank-you message from leadership, or a noticeboard feature can make apprentices feel valued.
Planning these activities ahead of time ensures they are not overlooked during a busy work week.
5. Prepare Your Communications
Decide how you will acknowledge National Apprenticeship Week across your communication channels. This may include internal emails, newsletters, intranet posts or social media updates. You might which to use this year’s theme, “It’s in the making”, as inspiration.
Using consistent messaging helps reinforce your organisation’s support for apprenticeships and skills development. And don’t forget to tag your social posts with #NAWA.
6. Use Available National Apprenticeship Week Resources
To make participation easier, National Apprenticeship Week logos and social media templates are available for businesses to use. These official resources help ensure consistent branding and reduce the time needed to create materials from scratch.
Using these templates also helps connect your organisation’s activities to the broader national observance.
7. Encourage Others in Your Organisation to Get Involved
Let supervisors, team leaders and colleagues know National Apprenticeship Week is coming. Encouraging broader involvement helps create a shared sense of recognition and reinforces that apprenticeships are valued across the business.
Even small acknowledgements from different parts of the organisation can have a meaningful impact.
National Apprenticeship Week is an opportunity to pause and recognise the effort, progress and contribution of apprentices and trainees. By preparing in advance, businesses can take part in a way that feels genuine, achievable and aligned with their workplace culture.
A little planning now can make the week more meaningful for everyone involved.