APMG and smart/tasking Launch Career Ready Academy to Help Bridge the Gap Between Education and Employment
- 3 days ago
- 3 min read
New workplace-readiness certification designed to equip learners with the skills employers consistently look for.
Global certification body APMG International and learning consultancy smart/tasking today announced the launch of Career Ready Academy, a new certification programme designed to help individuals develop the practical workplace skills needed to succeed in an increasingly competitive job market.
Recent research from the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) found that only 47% of young people felt ready for work when they left education, highlighting a growing gap between academic achievement and workplace readiness. At the same time, employers continue to report challenges around communication, commercial awareness and professional confidence, often resulting in longer onboarding periods and increased development support for new starters. Career Ready Academy has been developed to help address this challenge through structured, workplace-focused learning and certification.
Built around five core characteristics identified as critical for workplace success -Personal Effectiveness, Sales and Commercial Essentials, Business Fundamentals, Managing Expectations & Stakeholders, and Critical Thinking & Innovation - the programme aims to help learners develop the knowledge, behaviours and confidence needed to transition more effectively from education into employment.
The programme combines self-paced learning with practical workplace-focused development, helping learners develop practical skills they can apply with confidence in real-world workplace environments.
"Many individuals leave education having developed valuable knowledge and qualifications, but often without the practical workplace skills employers expect from day one," said Gary Gamp, Chief Experience Officer and Co-Founder of smart/tasking and Scheme Owner of Career Ready Academy.
"Career Ready Academy was created to help bridge that gap. It provides learners with practical, accessible development in the areas employers consistently tell us matter most - communication, confidence, commercial awareness, critical thinking and workplace effectiveness."
"At APMG, we work with organisations across the world to develop professional skills and capability," said Richard Pharro, CEO of APMG International.
"Career Ready Academy extends that commitment to the next generation of professionals. By helping learners build practical workplace skills alongside recognised certification, we aim to enable individuals, employers and education to be better prepared for the realities of today's workplace."
While designed to support individual learners, Career Ready Academy also provides employers, universities, recruitment organisations and learning & development teams with a structured framework for developing workplace-ready individuals. Organisations can use the programme to support graduate schemes, employability initiatives, early-career development programmes and workforce-readiness activities, while helping individuals build the confidence, capability and practical skills needed to succeed in professional environments.
As organisations continue to navigate evolving workforce requirements, emerging technologies and changing employer expectations, Career Ready Academy seeks to support the development of future-ready individuals, equipped not only with knowledge, but with the ability to apply it effectively in real workplace environments.
To support the launch, APMG International and smart/tasking have also developed a free Career-Ready Toolkit, providing practical guidance to help individuals build workplace readiness and understand the skills employers are looking for.
Media contacts:
smart/tasking – estefaniromero@smarttasking.com
Notes to editors :
About APMG
Trusted by leading organisations and governments worldwide, APMG certifications are used by over 80% of the FTSE 100 and more than a third of the Fortune 500 and S&P 500.
With certified professionals in 192 countries and over 2 million exams delivered, APMG is a global leader in professional certification. Our verified digital badges and internationally recognised qualifications help individuals demonstrate capability, stand out professionally, and succeed in a rapidly changing world.
About smart/tasking
smart/tasking is a strategy execution and learning consultancy that bridges the gap between organisational ambition and practical workplace performance. Moving beyond traditional advisory models, smart/tasking embeds senior practitioners directly into teams to build sustainable internal capability, accelerate talent development, and deliver measurable operational results.
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