A major impact of former Boardroom Apprentices is their contribution to diversity of thought around the board table, by bringing their own distinctive skills, knowledge, perspective and lived experience to discussions.

‘The amount of knowledge and skill base is fabulous.’

‘They focus on strategic discussions – the right sort of discussions. They are not afraid to ask questions and they ask more of the ‘why?’ questions than the ‘how?’ questions.’

‘Has brought a high degree of integrity.’ 

The main differences between former Boardroom Apprentices and other board applicants is a higher level understanding of governance and greater preparedness to contribute fully on a board. This includes being well prepared and asking appropriate questions. Other differences are stronger motivation and more confidence. 

‘The former Boardroom Apprentice came with a very clear underpinning knowledge and a very strong foundation of the requirements of being a non-executive director of a public body organisation, in terms of corporate responsibilities, strategic responsibilities, financial responsibilities and risk management.’

‘Candidates who complete the Boardroom Apprentice Programme are guaranteed to fully appreciate the key aspects of being a non-executive director: A good example of this is the concept of the separation of strategy and operational management.’

‘I think they're immediately engaged with the activity of the governing body and therefore much better placed to play an active role in governance. They're familiar with the Nolan principles, they're guided by the experience and the knowledge that they've acquired as part of their Boardroom Apprentice programme and, to be frank, they're much more useful.’