FE Week Annual Apprenticeship

Following a successful event at the International Convention Centre (ICC) in 2016, the organisers of the FE Week Annual Apprenticeship Conference and Exhibition have taken the decision to extend the contract with the venue for another two years. The deal will see the event return to the Birmingham venue in 2017 and 2018.

The annual conference is organised by Lsect, in partnership with Department for Business Innovation and Skills. Lsect delivers workshops and conferences in the further education sector and publishes two weekly newspapers; Further Education (FE) Week and Schools Week. The event provides an unprecedented opportunity for those involved with the delivery of apprenticeships to come together to learn, share and debate during a time of major reform in this sector.

The inaugural Apprenticeship Conference was hosted at the QEII Centre London, but moved to the ICC after its first year.

Commenting on the relocation to the ICC, Shane Mann, Managing Director of Lsect, said: “We have exhibited at a number of events hosted at the ICC, including the Association of Colleges and the Conservative Party Conferences and we have always been extremely impressed with the facilities and the team working behind the scenes. Following our successful inaugural event in London, we made the decision to move to Birmingham because the venue not only offers us space to grow, but is also based in the heart of the country with great transport links, meaning our exhibitors, delegates and speakers are able to travel to the venue with ease.”

The most recent event in March 2016 took place over three days across six of the ICC’s purpose built conference halls and welcomed over 800 delegates. The conference included a host of key industry speakers, various workshop sessions, an exhibition element and a gala dinner.

Catherine Newhall-Caiger, Business Development Director at the ICC, said: “We were delighted when Lsect decided to move to the ICC because of a positive experience at the venue under a different guise. We have been operating in this industry for over 25 years so we know how to deliver amazing events and it is extremely rewarding that this has been recognised by Lsect, who have now decided to contract with us for another two years.”