What's it all about? Top
Apprenticeships are designed by employers for employers, so they offer a structured program that takes the
apprentices through the skills needed to do a job well. Most of the training takes place in the workplace on the job and
the rest will be through a college or local training provider.
There are over 180 different Apprenticeships on offer nationally, in 80 different sectors, with this broad range
it is more than likely there is an apprentice out there to suit your business needs.
Training Top
Apprenticeships are work based training programs, so most of the training is done on the job in the workplace.
The rest of the training is provided by a local college or training provider (usually on a day release basis) working towards
nationally recognised qualifications.
There are currently two levels of Apprenticeship:
- Apprenticeship: apprentices work towards a National Vocational Qualification (NVQ) Level 2, Key Skills qualifications and in most cases a relevant technical certificate. (some candidates will not require to do the Key skills qualification if relevant qualifications are already obtained by the learner)
- Advanced Apprenticeship: advanced apprentices work towards a National Vocational Qualification (NVQ) at Level 3, Key Skills qualifications and in most cases a relevant technical certificate.
Public Sector Employers Top
A skilled workforce is vital for meeting the challenges of the global economy in the 21st century.
Apprenticeships are considered to be a proven way of dealing with both current and future workforce issues.
They enable employers to attract high-quality recruits and improve the skills and productivity of existing employees.
The Public Sector is no exception to this and with many critical skills shortages and an ageing workforce, it faces serious skills and
recruitment difficulties.
Within the Public Sector an opportunity is being missed. This sector accounts for around 20 per cent of the national workforce, but employs less than 10 per cent of all apprentices.
Benefits to the employer Top
Apprentices can bring vibrancy and fresh thinking into a business, they are eager to learn and to play their part,
the companies that harness this energy often report an uplift in motivation from existing employees.
Because apprentices are involved in a work related training often in the form of an NVQ they will gain additional skills to
add value to the practical on job learning they will do at work. The provider of the apprentice will often be able to offer work
based NVQ qualifications to your existing staff regardless of how long they have been doing the job, so you will see a culture of
achievement growing and this often results in increased productivity, a more motivated workforce an increase in staff retention
and most importantly increased profitability!
Research recently conducted on behalf of the LSC (Populus. February 2008) to launch the first National Apprenticeship Week revealed:
- 77% of employers believe apprenticeships make them more competitive;
- 76% say that apprenticeships provide higher overall productivity;
- 80% feel that apprenticeships reduce staff turnover;
- 83% of employers rely on their apprenticeships programme to provide the skilled workers that they need for the future;
- Two-thirds of respondents believe that their apprenticeship programme helps them fill vacancies more quickly, whilst 88% believe that apprenticeships lead to a more motivated and satisfied workforce.
- 59% report that training apprentices is more cost-effective than hiring skilled staff, with 59% believing that apprenticeships lead to lower overall training costs and 53% feeling that they reduce recruitment costs;
- In terms of the return on investment linked to apprenticeships, 41% say that their apprentices make a valuable contribution to the business during their training period, while a further third (33%) report that apprentices add value within their first few weeks (or even from Day One);
- 57% report a high proportion of their apprentices going on to management positions within the company.
- Over three-quarters of respondents expect apprenticeships to play a bigger part in their recruitment policy in the future.
Funding Top
The apprenticeship is an opportunity for a young person to get access to employment whilst they are still on the
first rung of the employment ladder, each apprentice will start a training route that will see them gain a technical
certificate and key skills, then whilst at work they will be assigned an assessor who will help them gather enough
evidence to gain an NVQ, the training is fully funded and no cost to the employer. The training provider will deal
with all the necessary claims for the funding relating to the training.
If you have existing staff aged between 16 and 18 years old who would like to join the scheme and start benefiting email
the FindMe team or call us on 0845 094 80 30, we will be happy to talk you through the process.
Employer FAQsTop
What's the difference between a modern apprenticeship and an apprentice?
What about my legal responsibilities?
What if the apprentice doesn’t work out?
What are key skills?
How many can I recruit?