DR Anna Morrison CBE

We have a bit of a joke in our team that no one seems to understand what I do for work. Friends and family know I’m always really busy, they know I work a lot of hours, they know it’s ‘something’ to do with apprenticeships…

I guess if I had to sum it up it would be that I own and run a business that works with the government and many other organisations and individuals to help to raise awareness of the benefits of apprenticeships across England with schools, students, parents and employers.

In 1998, I left school having completed my A levels. I did ok (I definitely could have done better if I’d been more interested in revision) but in truth, I just wanted to get working and to have my independence.

My friends knew exactly what they wanted to do and excitedly filled in UCAS applications and celebrated when the offers came in. I didn’t want that….but I wasn’t quite sure what I did want.

Apprenticeships were around in those days but they were definitely pitched at those who were perceived by the school as not suitable for university or needing support to be able to get into a job.

At that time, apprenticeships were positioned so negatively as a ‘last resort option’ that I didn’t see myself in that group – I’d already had a string of part-time jobs and felt confident that I would succeed in business…I just didn’t know what I wanted to do.

I didn’t actually know it back in 1998 (you can do the maths) – but this whole negative and confusing experience was one of the most crucial moments in my life.

I was one of just a handful of students in my year who didn’t want to go to university. This went against everything I had ever been told to expect from my life. My secondary school years had been spent preparing for the excitement of going to university, moving away from home, partying a lot, meeting new friends, securing my future…..so why didn’t I want it?

I knew I wanted something else. I wanted to get into work, to get started with my career and I didn’t see why I needed to spend three years at university to be able to do this.

Many teachers, friends and family members tried to convince me I was making a mistake. A couple of comments really stick with me. One teacher told me ‘You’ll never make anything of your life if you don’t go to university’ and another said ‘You are really going to struggle in your career if you don’t go. You might be fine for now, but if you ever want to do anything senior or in management, no-one will take you seriously if you don’t have a degree’
Luckily, this was all the motivation I needed to want to prove them wrong!

It’s always been my style – tell me I can’t do something and I will try everything to show you that I can!

Today, 11 years after setting up my own business, we employ 12 amazing staff. My incredible team work tirelessly to find new and innovative ways to help to share positive messages about apprenticeships and technical education – programmes like T Levels, Traineeships and Higher Technical Qualifications (HTQs).

We work with approximately 4,500 schools across England, engage with thousands of teachers and create resources that support hundreds of thousands of students and their families.

We also do a huge amount of work with employers and as part of this work, have created the Genie Programme. A really unique, 12-month, immersive programme that brings employers together to learn about social mobility, equality, diversity and inclusion, and to then apply this to their apprenticeship programmes so that more individuals can benefit. We’re working with Coca-Cola, Astra Zeneca, the Open University, B&Q and many other fantastic employers to help to diversify their workforces through apprenticeships.

We are also hugely excited to have launched Project Positive, enabling Care Leavers to access apprenticeships in Hertfordshire. The Parent Perspective Podcast, supporting parents and carers to hear from experts about the opportunities available to their children and have many other exciting projects in the pipeline – all of which achieve social change and positively impact some of the most disadvantaged young people in England.

Helping everyone, regardless of their background. to explore their options and realise how many fantastic opportunities are out there.

In November 2019, Anna was awarded Commander of the British Empire (CBE) at a ceremony in Buckingham Palace by Prince William, Duke of Cambridge.

In September 2021, Anna was awarded Honorary Doctor of Arts by the University of Hertfordshire in recognition of her outstanding work within the education sector.

In November 2022, Anna received a special ‘Overall Contribution to Apprenticeships’ award at the Multicultural Apprenticeship Awards, in recognition of her work in the space and her commitment to helping businesses use apprenticeships to drive equality, diversity, inclusion and social mobility.