Bridge to the Future Blog
How Apprenticeships Can Benefit Your Business
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According to the National Apprenticeship Service (NAS), businesses in the UK consider skill shortages and recruitment issues more threatening to performance than soaring oil prices and declining consumer spending.
So it will come as no surprise that more than 85,000 employers offer apprenticeship training programmes within their organisations.
Traditionally, this vocational
education route may have been associated primarily with manual jobs such as motor vehicle maintenance but
apprenticeships are available across a wide range of industry sectors including business administration, accountancy
AAT and customer service. Working with a training provider, you are
able to ensure that your workforce is equipped with relevant skills and qualifications – and you have the
opportunity to shape your employees through a
But you might be wondering how embarking on an apprenticeships programme can benefit your business and its development. With more than 200 frameworks available, there is sure to be an apprenticeship programme that will fit into your business and help to meet your specific training requirements.
Loughborough College works with a number of employers – both small and large scale – to provide intermediate and advanced apprenticeships programmes, many of whom cannot praise their trainees highly enough. Opodo manager Chris Merricks has been so pleased with one of his apprentices he has promoted him to a permanent role and tripled his salary in less than a year! He also found that taking on apprentices eased the burden of recruitment and new staff members were more enthusiastic. This is backed up by NAS research, which states that 88% of employers believe that apprentices lead to a more motivated and satisfied staff body. Practice Manager of the Quorn Medical Group, Liz Wells has also been delighted with her business administration apprentice she has been recommending the programme to other practices in the area.
In comparison to hiring more experienced staff it is believed that taking on an apprentice, for example onto an AAT accounting qualification, is actually more cost effective thanks to lower development and staff recruitment costs. This return to your bottom line cannot be underestimated in what are still difficult economic times. Indeed, one in five employers is taking on more apprentices to help them through.
Certainly in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) industries, there is a notable skills gap emerging thanks to an ageing workforce and a lack of young talent coming through. Apprenticeships are the perfect antidote to this issue as you will be sure to be recruiting young and keen staff members who will be continuing with their education and training whilst working. Not only this, but your training provider will help to tailor their programme to fit your individual business needs.
Taking on an apprentice can also give your business a 'feel good' factor thanks to their current popularity in light of changes to university education. NAS research tells us that a staggering 81% of consumers favour companies who take on apprenticeships.
If you're considering taking on an apprentice then why not take a look at a 10 Step Plan for Taking on Apprentices or looking at the many different options Loughborough College has to offer.
