National Apprenticeship Week (NAW) celebrates the vital role apprenticeships play in shaping the workforce of tomorrow. This year’s theme, “Skills for Life,” highlights how apprenticeships provide individuals with practical experience, professional confidence, and long-term career opportunities, while supporting organisations find fresh perspectives and emerging talent.

At LUPC, we are proud to continue building our Procurement Apprenticeship programme and to see the tangible impact it is having across our organisation and member community.

Our current apprentice, Nicola Panico, joined LUPC in February 2025 as a Procurement Assistant Apprentice. Over the past year, Nicola has developed his skills through hands-on experience across multiple areas of procurement within the higher education sector.

Nicola’s role combines framework support, operational procurement delivery, and professional development. He is currently supporting category management teams with framework agreements by participating in supplier due diligence, evaluating bids, and reviewing pricing schedules to ensure compliance, consistency, and commercial accuracy.

Alongside his work within LUPC, Nicola is also providing procurement support to Ravensbourne, one of our member universities. In this role, he assists with procurement inquiries, stakeholder engagement, and supports both the Procurement and Finance teams, gaining valuable insight into procurement operations within a member institution.

Nicola is also completing his End Point Assessment to finalise his Procurement Apprenticeship.

We are also delighted to share an update on our former apprentice, Ami, who successfully completed her apprenticeship at the beginning of this year. Since finishing the programme, she has taken on a position as interim procurement specialist for the Electoral Commission, continuing to build her experience and apply the skills developed during her time at LUPC.

National Apprenticeship Week is an opportunity to reflect on how apprenticeships create real, lasting impact - equipping individuals with skills for life while strengthening the procurement profession across our sector.

We look forward to continuing to invest in emerging talent and supporting the next generation of procurement professionals.