Kent & Medway’s Annual Apprentice Graduation Date Confirmed As Thursday 16th October! Registration Is Now Open
The 2025 Kent and Medway Apprentice Graduation Ceremony will take place once again at the beautiful Rochester Cathedral on Thursday, 16th October. The 2025 Ceremony aims to be even bigger than the record breaking 2024 graduation. Graduate registration is now open and places are likely to over subscribed early!
The registration portal is hosted on the Ceremony’s website at www.appgradkandm.org. Training providers and employers are welcome to register from 1st March. Apprentices can also self-register although extra validation checks are made for them. Registration closes on the 1st September officially, but the last two years closed early in June, as the Ceremony was over subscribed and ran waiting list. Apprentices should have achieved their apprenticeship between 1st August 2024 and 31st July 2025. However, the organisers do allow some flexibility for those that may have missed out in 2024 or had delayed end-point assessments in the previous academic year.
The fantastic graduate numbers of 2023 and 2024 saw more than 200 registered and over 800 friends and family, employer and provider guests at the Cathedral. With nearly 100 employers engaged, this year Kent Invicta Chamber of Commerce will also co-host the pre-ceremony networking event in the Crypt, which includes exclusive places for sponsors and supporters as well as ceremony stakeholders and dignitaries attending.
Roger Gough, Leader of Kent County Council; said, “It is entirely right that the graduation ceremony should have a magnificent setting like Rochester Cathedral, as a place to recognise apprentice achievements. We have had a strong programme of apprenticeships over many years and we will continue to give strong support to these awards and to apprenticeships in general. For us it is a vital part of what we see as the future of life in our county. Apprenticeships have made a big difference to Kent County Council and we look forward to their playing a still bigger role in the future.”
Cllr Vince Maple, Leader of Medway Council; said, “Apprentices are central to our strategy for sustainable skills and employment in Medway. The apprentice graduation ceremony is unique in that it provides an opportunity for apprentices at all levels and skills, whatever business they work for, or training provider they have engaged with, to celebrate their successes equally. Medway Council is delighted that once again Rochester Cathedral will be the venue where apprentice’s achievements are given the prestige and kudos they deserve, in the company of their family members, employers and training organisation that helped them achieve.”
Pauline Smith, CEO of CXK; said, “As founding sponsors of the Kent and Medway Apprentice Graduation Ceremony, we were thrilled to witness continued growth in apprentice graduates at the 2024 ceremony. As we move into 2025, apprenticeships remain a cornerstone for skill development, providing a unique blend of work, earnings, and learning, whilst addressing critical skills gaps. The Kent and Medway graduation ceremony has consolidated its role, going beyond celebrating individual milestones, whilst shaping a vibrant community of lifelong learners that contribute to the county’s economy. CXK champions the transformative impact of apprenticeships, in reinforcing and shaping a highly skilled, motivated, and knowledgeable workforce for the future. We look forward to October’s ceremony which will again celebrate learners and employers, highlight the diverse pathways to success in the world of work.”
Apprentice Graduation Class of 2024: Photo: davehaywardphotos.com
