Ticking all the boxes: NAW2026 – Hammersmith Academy

March 11, 2026

National Apprenticeship Week may officially last a week, but at Hammersmith Academy it stretches across several weeks to fit around mocks, half term and providers’ busy schedules. This approach allows us to make the most of the national momentum while ensuring every year group can take part.

In 2026, events ran throughout February. Each year group attended an assembly featuring an apprentice or industry expert. Highlights included interviews with former students Naeem and Dylan, local experts Harleen and Sana from Hammersmith & Fulham, AIM professional Georgina, and a panel of current Year 13 students who shared their apprenticeship experiences with younger pupils. Students also benefited from hands-on career activities. Year 12 took part in a speed networking event organised by Construction Youth Trust, while Sixth Form students attended an Insight session with British Airways staff, who discussed their roles, hosted a Q&A and even ran a flight simulator.

Thanks to the borough’s strong industrial strategy and the Upstream London Pathway Bond team, we also hosted the Hammersmith & Fulham Apprenticeship Inspire event. The morning brought together 120 students from three local schools to hear keynote speakers and meet 14 apprenticeship employers representing sectors from law and finance to the fire service and architecture. The event was such a success that we plan to repeat it in 2027.

A quieter but equally exciting development was the arrival of Aisha from the startup charity Day One mydayone.org.uk. Thanks to funding from the Worshipful Company of Information Technologists, Aisha is embedded with the Careers team one day a week to help build systems to support students into apprenticeships and provide one-to-one coaching for Year 13s. While there is always more that could be added, NAW 2026 hit all the Gatsby Benchmarks and ensured every year group at Hammersmith Academy could engage with apprenticeship opportunities.