Laura Armfield, Recruitment Executive – Learner Intake at our Birmingham Academy has been successful in securing a crucial partnership with the Organisation Workwise which assists unemployed people with free travel support to and from interviews and once employed to the Workplace. Aspire Achieve Advance Ltd are the first Training Provider in the West Midlands working with the Workwise Organisation.

NITP and AAP learners from our Birmingham and Walsall Academies will benefit from unlimited travel day passes for interviews and Travel Photo cards for the first 8 weeks of employment on their Apprenticeship. Alternatively once employed on their Apprenticeship, learners could be eligible for a free refurbished bicycle.

Currently the passes only cover certain areas in the West Midlands but will extend to the whole of the West Midlands from April onwards.

To find out more about Workwise and the benefits they offer, you can visit their website  http://www.networkwestmidlands.com/workwise/

Alternatively, if you are a young person interested in finding out more about our Apprenticeships please visit www.3aaa.co.uk or call us on 01332 880515

The largest provider of IT training in the country has officially opened its new head office in revamped premises in Derby city centre.

Aspire Achieve Advance (3AAA) has moved into Sitwell House, in Sitwell Street, off Babington Lane.

The firm, which is a national training provider specialising in delivering IT apprenticeships across the UK, has moved from Morley, to take over a floor at the building, which has enjoyed a £1 million revamp.

Derby County midfielder Will Hughes and defender Craig Forsyth helped cut the ribbon on the new premises, along with 3AAA’s founders Peter Marples and Di McEvoy-Robinson.

3AAA works with some key employers in the IT sector. Its clients range from small and medium-sized enterprises to blue-chip organisations across a range of sectors.

Mr Marples, a former Derby County director, said: “We’re delighted with our new headquarters.

“We had outgrown our previous location and consciously wanted premises in the city centre, because that’s where all the potential employers for our apprentices are.”

Around 20 staff are based at the head office, supporting a further 150 staff at locations throughout the UK.

It also houses the 3AAA Derby Academy, which trains IT and social media apprentices aged between 16 and 18.

Since opening the academy, 3AAA has created more than 40 jobs at businesses in the area for those apprentices.

Managing director Andy Palmer said: “We have created the jobs by talking to local employers about their recruitment needs and showing them that the apprenticeship model is the right one to address skills gaps that they might have.

“This has resulted in more than 40 happy employers and more than 40 happy and employed young people.”

Since 3AAA was founded six years ago the company has continued to grow. It has 10 sites across the UK and in 2014 it will open a further six locations, from which it will help train an extra 2,000 apprentices.

Last year, the building was bought by property company Exeid, on behalf of a private equity partnership.

The Nottingham firm then invested a seven-figure sum to refurbish the premises, which is made up of ground floor retail units and 16,740sq ft of office space.

Mr Marples said: “We have worked with Exeid before on some of our other locations. They have done a great job fitting out our new headquarters and we are very optimistic about our future here.

“There is an increasing demand from businesses for young people with the right skills – skills like IT, social media and accountancy.

“We have some extremely talented apprentices right here in Derby and businesses should utilise that talent.”