8 Reasons to Offer An Apprenticeship

Apprenticeships can be offered to brand new hires or staff already employed within your organisation who want to change their career trajectory or uplevel their skills. All that is required is that they are over the age of 16 and are not in full-time education.

In over 25 years of placements, training, and talent sourcing, we have discovered that apprenticeships offer unique educational and recruitment opportunities. A valuable pathway for both learners and employers, apprenticeships empower organisations to nurture talent from within or train new hires to fit perfectly within their unique work environment.

Read on to discover the top eight reasons why offering an apprenticeship would be an excellent move for your organisation.

1. Recruit high-calibre staff

Offering a high-level apprenticeship gives potential applicants a fantastic incentive to train and work with you, enabling you to choose from the brightest and most dedicated jobseekers.

Offering an apprenticeship proves that you, as an employer, are committed to helping your staff make the most of their talents and skills. This makes you very attractive as an employer and puts you head and shoulders above other organisations the applicant may be considering.

By communicating that apprenticeship opportunities are available in your organisation, you let new applicants know that you value a culture of ongoing education. It sets the expectations that progress isn’t just a possibility in your company, it’s actively nurtured as par for the course.

2. A cost-effective solution

Apprenticeships offer your business the chance to hire enthusiastic new talent cost-effectively by paying for their training fees from the levy pot.

The Apprenticeship Levy is a charge which taxes an additional 0.5% on companies with a wage bill over £3m. Drawing from this pot helps fund your apprentice’s learning experience and is available to any organisation.

If your wage bill is not high enough to pay the Apprenticeship Levy, you will still be able to access 95% funding to train your apprentice. Not only that, but you may also be eligible for extra funding, depending on the circumstances. For example, if your apprentice needs extra learning support, or if you employ fewer than 50 people, extra funding is available via the government.

3. Develop and upskill existing employees

Recruiting new staff is costly and can come with risks. However, by offering apprenticeships to existing staff, you get all the benefits work-based education brings without the transition of onboarding a new employee.

Training your staff with apprenticeships ensures your organisation has continued access to capable personnel and demonstrates your commitment to your employees. You will still be able to access apprenticeship funding in exactly the same way as if your apprentice was a new hire.

Benefits of using existing employees to fill your apprenticeships also include the fact that they are already familiar with company culture and processes. This means they will have a better idea of how to practically apply their new-found knowledge to increase productivity, hit targets and make the most of their learning.

4. Offered at a range of levels

Apprenticeships give you the chance to train staff in a wide range of skills and industries to any level you require.

At Pareto, we offer apprenticeships at level 3 (equivalent to A-level passes) and above in sales, leadership and management, as well as IT and digital industries. Higher apprenticeships are also available, which will give your learner an educational experience closer to degree level.

Anyone between the ages of 16-65 is eligible for an apprenticeship, and you set the requirements to apply. It is normally best practice to require a level 3 qualification such as an advanced apprenticeship, A-levels or NVQ level 3 when recruiting higher or degree level apprentices. Apprentices should also have five good GCSE passes.

5. Increase productivity and effectiveness

According to gov.uk, 86% of employers said apprenticeships helped them develop skills relevant to their organisation, and 74% said apprenticeships helped them improve the quality of their product or service.

You will find that apprentices are eager to learn, and when you offer them qualifications that will complement their work, then they will prove an excellent investment for your organisation. As you mould and develop talent to your specifications, you strengthen your business for the future.

Often, the benefits of new hires are dampened by the costs – both in productivity and financial terms – of onboarding them. Offering existing employees a chance to increase their usefulness with an apprenticeship allows you to reap the benefits, while your apprentices will know immediately where their skills will be most valuable.

6. Fill your skills gaps

Instead of searching endlessly for new hires with the specific skill sets required by your company, offering apprenticeships allows you to mould your perfect employee.

Apprentices bring in outside skills and experience that will give your business a breath of fresh air. Not only that, you can tailor their training to specifically target those areas of your organisation you wish to improve.

Taking on one new hire and upskilling them in the areas most valuable to you is a time and cost-effective way to focus on improving productivity in a niche area. This allows your business to meet challenges, be more agile and respond to a changing industry landscape.

Employees with the most in-demand skills tend to get snapped up in such a competitive labour market. Apprenticeships allow you to nurture the talent you need, right from the start.

7. Invest in the industry

By hiring an apprentice, you are helping to fight back against rising levels of unemployment. As an organisation, you demonstrate a commitment to building a future workforce capable of taking on modern challenges.

As well as this, current research shows that clients and customers who find out that you employ apprentices are often impressed by the fact that you are devoted to helping young people. This may lead to consumers making a decision to purchase with you over a competitor, as long as you can demonstrate this value of social responsibility over firms that do not.

Investing in apprenticeships improves your local and national economy by contributing to the workforce and empowering young people and existing staff to take control over their career trajectories. In turn, this boosts their confidence and gives them the motivation they need to succeed.

8. Attract the best new talent there is to offer

Anyone who chooses the apprenticeship route is hoping to maximise and validate their skills in a specific industry sector. This means they are motivated, dedicated, and willing to go above and beyond to showcase what they have on offer in order to gain a place in your company.

Not only will you discover fresh new influence for your organisation, you will eliminate the risk of hiring those just wanting to fill a gap in their CV and not put in one hundred percent. Apprenticeships are some of the most dedicated hires you will ever make.

Contact us

If you are ready to invest in the future of your organisation’s talent, get in touch with us to organise an apprenticeship. By doing so, you will strengthen your company, foster productivity and nurture growth that will pay for itself over and over.