Apprenticeship Bus:
2024 Tour Information
Each year, the Apprenticeship Bus travels around the city taking apprentices from Portsmouth-based businesses and organisations into schools, giving pupils a chance to meet them face to face and get a real, first-hand insight into what life is like as an Apprentice.
Each school visit lasts around one hour, and the pupils get the chance to hear about the different Apprenticeship opportunities available in the city.
The Apprenticeship Bus is delivered in partnership with:
Information for businesses and apprentices joining the tour
The information below is for Portsmouth businesses who have confirmed their apprentices will be supporting Shaping Portsmouth on the Apprenticeship Road Show Week.
If you are an apprentice taking part in this programme, please complete the form below:
This page will be updated with new and relevant information between Nov 2023 and Feb 2024 and will be your point of reference.
Employer Checklist:
- Complete the Apprenticeship Form for each apprentice attending
- Send company logo to Matt Farmer at matt.farmer@shapingportsmouth.co.uk
Businesses taking part in 2024:
General Information
The bus is confirmed to travel from Tuesday 6th – Thursday 8th February 2024.
Simon Ingram is the volunteer programme lead.
Kirsty Hill is supporting as the Shaping Portsmouth Programme Co-Ordinator.
Contact Information
Kirsty Hill: kirsty.hill@shapingportsmouth.co.uk
Pick-up and Drop-off
Each day, pick-up will be on Isambard Brunel Road in the city centre at Park & Ride stop 
. Drop-off will be on the opposite side of the road at Park & Ride stop 
.
The timings will vary from day to day:
Tuesday 6th
Pick-up: 07:45
Drop-off: 15:30
Wednesday 7th
Pick-up: 08:45
Drop-off: 15:30
Thursday 8th
Pick-up: 08:00
Drop-off: 15:15
The bus will start each day at the Farlington Stagecoach depot before driving to the pick-up point and then return there after drop-off.
If you would like to be picked up and/or dropped off at the depot, please let Kirsty know.
On The Day
The full schedule for the week is available here.
The Apprenticeship Bus will start its journey from Stagecoach Farlington and head to the pickup location in Portsmouth City Centre.
The Bus will then tour Portsmouth each day visiting the scheduled schools before returning to the drop-off location.
The majority of young people will be in years 10 and 11 and they may not have had much opportunity to find out about Apprenticeship opportunities that are open to them.
At each school we will run a Speed Networking Session, which will introduce the apprentice ambassadors/volunteers to the students. Students will have the opportunity to ask questions and learn from the apprentices’ experience and insight, to help them make decisions about their next steps.
Please be aware that the young people may be nervous so you may need to help them along by asking some questions and sharing information they might find useful:
- You could ask them if they have considered an apprenticeship as a career option
- Maybe find out if there are any particular careers/jobs that interest them
- Tell them how you got your job and what is involved
- Share information about your apprenticeship and why you feel it’s been good for you
- Share any advice about applying for an apprenticeship
- If you are willing to share it, please feel free to talk about salaries and job prospects
Leanne Furneaux gives a brief introduction on what Apprentices can expect on the Apprenticeship Bus, after attending on behalf of Mountjoy in 2023.
Training
Shaping Portsmouth will be hosting and informal training induction for all apprentices.
These sessions are to set expectations of the day for the apprentices and to support them in identifying some key talking points around their journey and experiences. This will help support everyone in feeling more confident and able to talk to young people on the day of the event.
All apprentices will be required to attend one of the onboarding sessions. This is a 60 minute session, delivered virtually, on the dates below. Please confirm your preferred date with Kirsty at kirsty.hill@shapingportsmouth.co.uk.
- Thursday 11th January 16:00-17:00
- Thursday 18th January 16:00-17:00
Marketing
Bus branding
We will be getting the Stagecoach bus branded and wrapped with all the logos of businesses taking part in this programme, thanks to the support of MediaFleet. This will give you great exposure as we drive around Portsmouth over the three days.
Please send a high-resolution or vector logo to Matt Farmer at matt.farmer@shapingportsmouth.co.uk by Monday 4th December. Matt will send these onto Stagecoach and their graphic designers to meet their deadlines.
Consent
The Shaping marketing team and media partners will be taking photos and videos throughout the tour for social media and marketing purposes. Please confirm your consent via the form.
If you would rather NOT be included in any imagery please make yourself known to the team on the day so we know who to look out for.
Press
Our media partners will be invited to join the bus for a media session from 13:30 to 13:50 at Portsmouth Academy on Thursday 8th February..
If you have any apprentices that would like to be interviewed by the press, please let Kirsty know, and make yourself known to the team on the day.
Social Media
Shaping Portsmouth will be posting updates from the bus on our social media channels throughout the tour.
You are welcome to share our social media posts from the event, and make your own posts to promote your apprentices taking part. Please do tag us in your posts and use the hashtags below.
NO PHOTOS MAY BE TAKEN WHEN PUPILS ARE PRESENT, UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES.
Please direct your marketing teams to the channels below prior to the 5th February to help support the promotion of this inspirational and impactful week.
#ApprenticeshipBus2024 #NAW2024 #SkillsForLife
Catering
Shaping Portsmouth will be providing a free packed lunch for each apprentice per day. Allergy information is included in the Apprentice form.
