Whether trying to find a different route to the traditional university path or just trying to upskill within a current job role, a lot of people are choosing apprenticeships in order to learn on the job. In the 2021/2022 academic year, there were over 740000 people taking part in apprenticeships in England. The number of people starting an apprenticeship increased by 9%. This is especially important after a few years of work and life disruption.
Here at the Apprenticeship Network, we want to encourage as many businesses as possible to hire apprentices. These apprentices can fill the gaps in their business and create an active learning workforce.
Here are the top FIVE reasons we think you should consider hiring an apprentice:
1. Apprentices bring a fresh perspective
Young people taking on apprenticeship roles allows for new ideas and diversity for your business. In this day and age, young people have a lot of skills to offer that older work staff may struggle with. For example, young people have grown up with social media, this can be second nature to them. If you want to target a younger audience, the perspective of a young person is crucial for success.
2. Apprentices can free up senior staff
By taking on lower level staff, you free up your more senior staff to manage your business and make important decisions. These lower level tasks are the perfect opportunity for learning as someone just entering the workforce. Balance the workload of your company by hiring apprentices, allowing the senior staff to focus on crucial issues.
3. Soft skill are key for the workplace
By taking on apprentices, you allow young people entering the workforce to learn and develop their workplace skills. Learning business skills such as commercial awareness alongside doing technical education is so vital. Apprenticeships ensure your business has an educated, proactive workforce that is extremely capable of meeting business needs.
4. The Apprenticeship Levy cuts training costs
Here is some information from The Open University about apprenticeship funding in England:
‘Levy-paying employers in England can use funds in their Apprenticeship Service Account to fund apprenticeship training costs. They also receive a 10% Government top-up.
The Open University
For non-levy paying employers, the Government will fund 95% of the cost of training an apprentice, with a 5% contribution from the employer. If you employ fewer than 50 people, that increases to 100% for apprentices aged 16-18 or aged 19-24 with an education and healthcare need. Find out more on England’s Apprenticeship website.’
5. You manage the tasks your apprentice does to suit your business
Your apprentice will have some coursework to complete along the way but as a business you are able to provide this work to benefit your business. For example, a Digital Marketing apprentice can post your organic social content to promote your business. This task can also be written up in their portfolio. This allows for productive work to get done and your apprentice to complete their coursework at the same time.
So don’t hesitate. Get in touch with the Apprenticeship network today in order to start finding out what apprenticeships suit your business needs. You can get in contact with us @ApprenticeshipNetwork if you have any queries. We hope this has inspired you to consider hiring a new apprentice today!
