Care to Apprenticeship: Making Apprenticeships Work for Care‑Experienced Young People

Recently, Grace, an apprentice at Ginger Nut Training, had the honour of speaking at the UK House of Lords at the launch of the Care to Apprenticeship report by Drive Forward Foundation — a powerful piece of work focused on how apprenticeships can better support care‑experienced young people.

It was a significant moment, bringing together people from across the sector who are deeply committed to creating meaningful and lasting change. For Grace, it was an opportunity not only to highlight the value apprenticeships can offer, but also to speak honestly about the very real barriers that still exist.

During the event, Grace shared her personal journey as an apprentice, reflecting on both the opportunities apprenticeships can create and the challenges around accessibility, confidence, and support that care‑experienced young people often face.

These challenges are not always visible. They can appear quietly — through limited networks, a lack of confidence, or uncertainty about whether opportunities are “meant for people like me.” The report captures these realities clearly, and Grace’s contribution reinforced its findings through lived experience.

As part of her speech, Grace also shared a short poem — offering a different form of expression that conveyed what couldn’t easily be put into words. It reflected just how transformative the support and belief shown by Ginger Nut Training has been, and how much her perception of what was possible changed during her apprenticeship journey. (With apologies to anyone who may have been a little emotionally affected.)

What stood out throughout the day was the openness and honesty in the room. Listening to a wide range of stories and perspectives from people committed to improving access to apprenticeships made the event particularly impactful.

Grace also paid tribute to Jessica P, who shared her story so powerfully and honestly. Her words were a reminder of the importance of lived experience and representation in shaping policy and practice.

Thanks were also extended to Phil Warnock and Tanya Murphy for their continued support and for speaking so passionately about the responsibility organisations have to create genuine opportunities for care‑experienced individuals.

And, most importantly, Grace wished to thank Linn Wiman and Will Kerridge at Drive Forward Foundation for trusting her with the opportunity to speak — an experience she is incredibly proud to have been part of.

The Care to Apprenticeship report represents an important step forward. It challenges employers, training providers, and policymakers to think differently about how apprenticeships are designed, accessed, and supported — particularly for young people who do not start from a level playing field.

At the same time, it serves as a reminder that more still needs to be done.

To be truly inclusive, apprenticeships must be built with accessibility and tailored support at their core — not treated as optional extras. This requires listening carefully to care‑experienced voices and being willing to adapt systems and processes accordingly.

Events like this reinforce why the work matters.

Apprenticeships have the potential to be genuinely life‑changing — but only when the right support structures are in place. Grace’s experience, alongside the findings of the Care to Apprenticeship report, highlights the importance of continuing to build a fairer, more inclusive skills system.

You can read the full Care to Apprenticeship: Making Apprenticeships Work for Care‑Experienced People report here:  https://driveforwardfoundation.org/publications/care-to-apprenticeship-making-apprenticeships-work-for-care-experienced-people/

Ginger Nut Training is proud to support apprentices like Grace and to be part of conversations that aim to create lasting, positive change for care‑experienced young people.