Business Showcase - SWAC

Forest Economic Partnership currently has over 260 stakeholders who live, work or play in the 203sq miles of the Forest of Dean.

With over 4000 business rate paying businesses in the District, there is a wide range of successful businesses of all sizes; in a number of different sectors.

In this series of blogs; FEP are showcasing some of it’s members and providing a real insight into what business looks like in the Forest of Dean, the challenges and opportunities of operating in a rural environment and the ambitions of local businesses.

SWAC Generic Logo

Company Name

South West Apprenticeship Company Ltd (SWAC)

What does the company do?

At the South West Apprenticeship Company, we help businesses to expand their talent pool and grow their business by providing unique apprentice employment solutions. We realise that not every company is the same, so our solutions are tailored to suit individual needs.

SWAC are specialists in apprentice recruitment and employment, we manage every aspect of the apprenticeship; the apprentices are employed by SWAC and placed with ‘Host Organisations’ for the duration of the Apprenticeship because we understand the market we can provide a tailored solution for your apprenticeship and training needs. Our services include, HR, payroll, funding management, training management, apprentice performance management and an apprentice mentoring programme.

99% of our apprentices gain permanent employment after completing their apprenticeship or progress onto higher qualifications

How is the company structured and is it foreign owned?

Team SWAC V2

SWAC is a private limited UK only company with a registered address in Bristol and main operational office in Gloucester. There 4 Directors of which only the Managing Director is a paid member of staff.

How many employees do they have?

4 operational key SWAC staff and 98 apprentices that are hosted in employers across the region.

What are the main challenges/ opportunities faced by operating rurally?

Biggest challenge for our rural apprentices is the travel options and lack of placements to complete their training.

How do you see your business working over the next 5 years? Are you planning for growth?

We have seen growth coming out of the pandemic as more businesses look to expand their businesses and look for new skills to support this growth. We are planning for this growth to continue and we currently are investing in new skills and technology. We have also started to support businesses outside of the South West region.

Why did you decide to join FEP?

I have lived in the Forest of Dean for 24 years and throughout that time I have worked in Gloucestershire supporting small businesses with skills gaps and promoting apprenticeships and training. I wanted to support the FEP to promote opportunities and businesses in the forest, to help showcase the wonderful business we have here, to encourage partnership work and ultimately bring schools and business owners together to inspire future generations. Before joining FEP I was part of the Forest of Dean Entrepreneurs Project which campaigned for the launch of the Forest of Dean Growth Hub.