Celebrating National Apprenticeship Week: Launching Our Early Careers ‘NextGen4um’ Forum
To mark National Apprenticeship Week, we’re proud to share the launch of NextGen4um – our new Early Careers forum designed to bring together apprentices and early career professionals from across 4way. The aim is simple: create a supportive space to connect, share experiences, and grow together.
Our first in-person session set the tone for what we hope this forum will become. We began the day with short updates from each apprentice, reflecting on their journey so far, what they’ve been learning at college, the projects they’ve been involved in, and what lies ahead.
A recurring theme quickly emerged. The most challenging areas of study were often those with limited overlap to our day-to-day technical work. This sparked an open and honest discussion about how the forum can act as a peer support network. With everyone at different stages of their apprenticeship, there is always someone who has faced a similar challenge and can offer practical advice. That collaborative spirit sits at the heart of NextGen4um.
We then moved into a session focused on End Point Assessment (EPA), a milestone that can understandably feel daunting. With one attendee awaiting their assessment date and another having recently passed, the group benefited from first-hand insights and practical reassurance. Hearing real experiences helped make the process feel clearer and more manageable.
After a productive morning, we headed out of lunch together; a valuable opportunity for colleagues from different offices to connect informally and strengthen relationships beyond the meeting room.
The afternoon included a session with one of our registered STEM Ambassadors, who spoke about the importance and reward of inspiring young people to explore engineering and technology. The discussion highlighted the diversity of careers within our sector and encouraged apprentices to consider how they might get involved in outreach themselves.
We rounded off the day with a practical STEM challenge, building balloon-powered cars using simple materials. The results were varied and occasionally unpredictable, but the exercise delivered exactly what it was intended to: teamwork, creativity, and plenty of positive energy.
The first NextGen4um session was a genuine success. Attendees left with stronger connections, new insights, and a clearer sense of how the forum can support them throughout their apprenticeship and early career journey at 4way.
National Apprenticeship Week is about recognising the value apprentices bring to our industry. Through initiatives like NextGen4um, we’re investing in their growth, confidence, and future, and we’re excited to see where the forum goes next.
4way Support Salford College Apprentices
Salford College recently launched their Highways Maintenance Skilled Operative Apprenticeship in partnership with LCRIG. To kick things off, 4way Consulting provided an overview training session for the first group of apprentices, focusing on Traffic Signals.
Our Technical Director, Chris Ellison, and Smart Cities Sector Lead, Shane Collins, visited Salford College’s City Skills campus on Friday, May 17th, to deliver a one-hour introduction to Traffic Signals for the Groundworks and Highways Apprentices. They also had the chance to chat with Sam Heyes, Teacher of Construction – Groundworks and Highways, about the apprenticeship. Sam gave them a tour of the new LCRIG-sponsored training area for groundworks and construction.
The training session was a hit! The apprentices found it valuable, saying it helped them understand traffic management signals better. It was a pleasure to share our expertise with the future engineers (and who knows, we might have inspired a few to consider a career in traffic engineering).
We’re now collaborating with Sam to develop a more practical event for the apprentices, making the most of their excellent training facilities.
4way Early Careers Professionals Explore UTAC Millbrook with ITS UK
4way Early Careers professionals had a fantastic day supporting the Early Careers and Women in ITS Forums of ITS UK on November 23rd. The Early Careers and Women in ITS Forums collaborated for a joint event hosted by UTAC Millbrook which provided valuable insights into career progression in the Intelligent Transportation Systems field.
The morning session was packed with a wide range of presentations from speakers who shared their experiences and expertise. The networking session over lunch was alive with excitement, with people engaging with one another and forming new networks. The afternoon was spent exploring UTAC Millbrook’s cutting-edge facilities, including a thrilling ride on the tracks in an electric bus and checking out cutting-edge driver simulation tools, our apprentice Oliver accepted the driving simulator challenge reaching speeds of over 140mph with the track conditions and scenarios constantly changing.
4way is grateful for the opportunity to learn, engage, and directly experience the future of transportation. We are looking forward to applying these insights at 4way and contribute to the growth of our Early Careers professionals.