Apprenticeships
Apprenticeships are vital to the future of the UK jewellery trade, nurturing skilled craftsmanship, design expertise, and technical knowledge among new entrants. These structured training programmes support independent jewellers, retailers, manufacturers, and workshops in building their talent pipelines and maintaining quality standards. Jewellery Focus provides detailed coverage of apprenticeship schemes—highlighting government initiatives, industry-accredited programmes, employer insights, and real-world case studies. Our reporting helps trade professionals understand qualification pathways, recruitment benefits, funding options, and best practice approaches to developing the next generation of jewellery talent.
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May- 2025 -14 MayManufacturers
Silver allied trades added to endangered craft list
Heritage Crafts has announced that the silver allied trades have been added to its Red List of Endangered Crafts for the first time. Red List of Endangered Crafts is a bi-annual report listing traditional craft skills in the UK at risk of disappearing. As a result of this, the Goldsmiths’…
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Oct- 2024 -31 OctoberEvents
BAJ to host online Apprenticeships Info-Session for industry
BAJ has announced a new Jewellery Apprenticeship Info-Session, targeted at businesses looking to grow and expand through the addition of new talent. BAJ’s Apprenticeship programme provides specialist training to budding jewellery industry workers and helps jewellery businesses to upskill their workforce. The BAJ Apprenticeship offering is in line with the…
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Apr- 2024 -9 AprilManufacturers
De Beers presents AUEA with Leopard jewel-tool boxes to help young talent
Aston University Engineering Academy (AUEA) has been presented with the first set of Leopard jewel-tool boxes, sponsored by De Beers, to encourage young talent into the jewellery industry. The Leopards initiative was founded in 2016 to preserve the skills and craftsmanship of the British jewellery industry and mentor young people…
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Oct- 2023 -9 OctoberRetailers
Laings appoints Serena Gough to its board
Luxury family-owned jewellers Laings has promoted Serena Gough to its UK board. Gough has been a part of the Scottish headquartered business since 2019 and heads up Laings Services and Laings Bespoke departments spanning each of the six showrooms located across the UK. Laings said that the move comes as…
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Apr- 2023 -6 AprilEvents
BAJ launches new apprenticeship programme for jewellery businesses
The British Academy of Jewellery has announced the launch of a new apprenticeship programme to provide specialist training to budding jewellery industry workers and help jewellery businesses upskill their workforce. According to BAJ, the new BAJ apprenticeship offering “is in line with the new standard for the Jewellery, Silversmithing and…
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Mar- 2022 -23 MarchRetailers
Hamilton & Inches launches its Craft Academy
Hamilton and Inches has announced the launch of its Craft Academy as part of its ongoing support to young artisans in Scotland by investing in apprenticeships and training. The launch of the jeweller’s new academy includes two silversmithing internships, one of which is open to third year students studying jewellery…
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Aug- 2020 -7 AugustRetailers
Usdaw warns business rates increase could risk more jobs
Retail trade union Usdaw has expressed “major concerns” over reports that the government is considering increasing business rates for premises with a rateable value over £51,000. The news comes as reports suggest Rishi Sunak is considering increasing business rates in an effort to boost the UK economy. Instead, Usdaw is…
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Jul- 2020 -30 JulyRetailers
New grants to be made available for small businesses
Grants totalling £20m are to be made available to small businesses, the government announced today (July 30). Thousands of smaller businesses in England are set to benefit from the new government funding to help them recover from the effects of the coronavirus pandemic. Small and medium sized businesses will have…
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7 JulyEconomy
Usdaw urges chancellor to announce retail recovery plan
Retail trade union Usdaw is calling on the chancellor to announce in Wednesday’s (8 June) economic statement an “urgent recovery plan” for the “struggling retail industry”, which is developed with trade unions and retail employers. Some of the factors, Usdaw is urging the government to cover fundamental business rates, an…
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Jan- 2020 -24 JanuaryRetailers
57,000 retail jobs lost in 2019
Some 57,000 retail jobs were shed in 2019, according to the latest retail employment monitor from the British Retail Consortium (BRC). In the fourth quarter of 2019, there was a 1.8% year-on-year decline in full-time retail employees, which equates to the loss of 57,000 jobs since the same period in…
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