It’s National Apprenticeship Week! A week where employers and organisations come together to showcase their opportunities to those who are actively seeking an apprenticeship.
Apprenticeships are absolutely a worthy investment for any business across a multitude of sectors and are for all roles, from entry-level positions all the way up to managerial and beyond. Offering a variety of benefits, from boosted employee skillsets to improved company retention, apprenticeship programmes are proven to help individuals develop their careers whilst simultaneously generating positive results for business.
First and foremost, hiring an apprentice is such an effective way to grow and develop a motivated, skilled and qualified workforce. Whether you’re adding someone new to the team, or developing an existing employee, an apprenticeship is the perfect way to upskill your workforce.
The numbers speak for themselves!
The advantages of apprenticeships for businesses have been explored widely over recent years. According to the apprenticeships.gov.uk website:
- 86% of employers said apprenticeships helped them develop skills relevant to their organisation.
- 78% of employers said apprenticeships helped them improve productivity.
- 74% of employers said apprenticeships helped them improve the quality of their product or service.
How do apprenticeships impact businesses?
Apprenticeships mean that businesses are provided with skilled workers who will help future-proof their organisation. Here are just some of the advantages:
- On-the-job training, tailored to the individual, allows employees to put their newly learned skills and knowledge to the test, from day one.
- They’re not just for school leavers! Apprenticeships are open to people of all ages, backgrounds and career levels, meaning that employers can develop diversified talent across the business – not just new starters.
- Employees are developed into highly skilled staff who also bring great value to the business, which can be applied throughout their careers.
How much is this going to cost?
With the number of benefits of having employees undertake apprenticeships that we’ve outlined so far, we bet you’re wondering just how much of a cost this is going to be for your business, right?
Well, it probably isn’t as much as you think, as, at the moment, the UK government actually offers incentives for young talent. This means that they’re offering a £1,000 incentive to businesses for each apprentice hired between the ages of 16-18! The incentive is designed to help with the costs of hiring younger and perhaps less experienced candidates. It not only helps businesses invest in fresh new talent, but it also helps the candidate get their foot in the door within an industry they want a career in. There are further incentives for those aged 19-24 too – check out the information for employers here.
Plus, if you hire an apprentice, it’s likely you’ll save on recruitment costs. By hiring an apprentice into the department that needs will benefit from it most, you’re supporting the development of new and in-demand skills within the business. If you think about it, by the time you may need to recruit into a new senior or managerial position, you’ll have already been moulding an employee into the perfect fit, meaning you’ll be seeing a return on your investment too!
What makes NetSupport an expert?
Well, we’ve been taking on apprentices since 2012. Some of the departments that have benefitted from having members of the team undertake apprenticeships include IT Support, Product Testing, Marketing and Customer Service. Plus, NetSupport’s CEO Al Kingsley is part of the East of England Apprenticeship Ambassador Network, a group of employers and apprentices championing apprenticeships across the East of England. Not only this, but Al has, for the second year running, helped host and judge at the Cambridgeshire Apprenticeship Awards!
So, with all that in mind, it’s no surprise that we’re huge supporters of the scheme and love a chance to highlight the benefits.
Find out more
If you’d like to find out more about hiring an apprentice including the financial benefits and incentives available to you, visit the GOV.UK website.