An Apprenticeship is a fantastic way for someone to learn whilst they are working and although Apprenticeships are often seen as the middle ground between education and employment, as long as you are aged over 16 you can complete an Apprenticeship at any age.
Learners will gain an education whilst being in the workplace, developing skills and knowledge to either succeed in their career or perhaps progress onto the next Apprenticeship level.
Whilst this is brilliant for the Apprentice, how does this benefit you, the employer? What are you getting out of hiring an Apprentice?
The minimum wage for an Apprentice is currently £3.70 per hour, meaning that they are a lesser expense than other members of the workforce.
The reason for this lower income is due to the fact that companies are expected to train their Apprentices and give them an education that they would otherwise not receive. You will be training your Apprentice to help them with the completion of their course and aid them in transferring these skills to the workplace.
Hiring a young Apprentice, especially those who have recently finished school, can mean more time and training is needed as typically the Apprenticeship can be their first taste of a ‘proper’ job. However, you can certainly expect them to be adept at certain skills that perhaps your more experienced workforce aren’t as educated in.
An example of this is the fact that the younger generation have grown up surrounded not only by computers but also social media. As a society, we are moving away from paper-based work and so those who have the ability to use these electronic resources are likely to be the ones that succeed.
The younger generation are typically more enthusiastic about their work as well, so they are likely to pick up new skills quickly.
Hiring an Apprentice could be the answer to filling in skill gaps found in your business not just through what you can teach them, but through what they can teach you.
Apprentices can go into their new roles with little knowledge of the industry they’re working in. Because of this, it can be a great opportunity to set them tasks that help free up other members of staff to focus on the more demanding areas of their jobs.
Tasks such as filing and dealing with paperwork are just a few of the typical duties that an Apprentice will undertake. Because of this, when they progress in their job role, they will have a greater all round understanding of how the industry works and why certain tasks are performed. Essentially, they will be starting at the bottom in order to work their way up.
As mentioned, due to Apprentices being tasked with jobs such as these, it gives other members of your workforce the opportunity to focus on tasks that an Apprentice is perhaps not qualified to carry out. This in turn creates a greater workflow for the business.
High unemployment rates are a problem in modern society. With many people fresh out of education (school, college or university) unable to secure a job due to having no previous experience, many employers are not able to offer them the opportunity to gain this experience. To a graduate this can seem like a never ending circle.
Enter Apprenticeships. Apprenticeships are offering learners the opportunity to work and earn money whilst at the same time gaining an education. Due to the comparatively low cost of hiring an Apprentice compared to an experienced member of the workforce, there is less of a risk involved, with potentially an even bigger reward.
Because you are investing in an Apprentice, they will likely be more inclined to stay committed to your company. If you take the time to train them and give them skills that will aid them in their future working life, they are likely to return the favour and dedicate themselves to you for the foreseeable future.
Apprentices are a huge asset to any company. They are enthusiastic to complete any job asked of them, and typically have skills that you would not otherwise have in your existing workforce. Not only that, but they are typically more economical to hire, and can free up work for other employees. For more information please contact a member of our team for an informal chat.