How to Find the Best Apprenticeship Providers 

Investing in top apprenticeship providers is essential for the training and investment to pay off. But with so many apprenticeship providers on offer, it can be difficult for companies to know where to begin. This article will explain what businesses should expect from an apprenticeship, the strategic and long-term benefits, and how to find a great apprenticeship provider.

What to Expect from Top Apprenticeship Providers

Apprenticeships are a great way to strengthen teams with diverse talent opportunities. Professional sales apprenticeships, for example, can help businesses evolve by providing targeted training. Designed to harness leadership potential, providing such coaching can promote companies' long-term, profitable performance and growth.

When partnering with top apprenticeship providers, businesses can expect to benefit from the following: innovative and high-quality training experiences for both learners and businesses; government-approved guidance to boost performance and optimise deliverables; safeguarded processes to ensure optimal support for those involved.

How do Apprenticeships Work? 

How do top apprenticeship providers achieve the above? For starters, it's important to expel the myth that apprentices are limited to sixteen-year-olds gaining work experience in a limited industry.

Apprentices can be any age (although the minimum age requirement is sixteen) and employed for different roles at different levels. As a result, they offer a wide range of skills and experience, from fresh graduate talent to those with senior management history looking to further their careers. The best apprenticeship providers are highly skilled in matching the perfect candidates–with the necessary experience and passion–with the right company.

Apprentices also learn on the job. To be precise, 80% of learning takes place while working. Learners spend the remaining 20% studying at a college or institution for a qualification. 

This level of direct experience assists companies in (a) narrowing any skill gaps and (b) fostering specialist knowledge of company procedures. In essence, you're training apprentices to meet your current and future business needs, which is highly strategic and cost-effective. 

How Much Do Apprenticeships Cost? 

Apprenticeship programmes are (mostly) government-funded. The Apprenticeship Levy is a UK tax on employers to fund apprenticeship training. The tax came into action in 2017, levying companies with a wage bill over £3m an additional 0.5% to invest back into the workforce. 

If your company is over the threshold, you can estimate how much you could be investing in training with this helpful calculator tool. 

The government tops up levy funds with a 10% contribution each month. Unused funds expire after 24 months. Once companies have agreed on a programme and training provider, the provider receives payment from the digital levy account. Companies earning less than £3m are eligible for 95% government funding to be contributed to enrolling staff in any apprenticeship training. 

Please note: the levy is to fund apprenticeship training and assessment and cannot be used to pay apprentice wages directly. 

What Happens After Apprenticeships End? 

After finishing their apprenticeship programme, you will have the opportunity to offer the apprentice a full-time job, introducing highly skilled workers into your company. Armed with all the specialist intel needed to help your enterprise prosper, apprentices can future-proof your business and provide a lasting ROI.

How to Find a Great Apprenticeship Provider 

In reality, though, not every apprentice nor provider will align with your goals, another reason why it’s crucial to know how to find the best apprenticeship providers. 

Including the benefits already listed, top apprenticeship providers should help you to: 

• Recruit and interview apprentices

• Prepare your apprentice for the workplace

• Ensure the working environment is suitable for the chosen candidate

• Assure they are learning skills relevant to your business requirements
  
  

Research and Review 

Businesses ought to triple-check that providers offer all the above. One way to do this is by reading reviews and case studies for top apprenticeship providers from both apprentices and previous employers. 

Employers should also consider how providers communicate during the recruitment and organisational process. For example, sporadic or obscure communication is unhelpful and can slow down progress.

Other questions businesses should ask to include: what are the best skills to invest in for your business, across the department and individually? Who is best suited at your company to form an honest and unbiased view on this? How do you prioritise specific skills and training without leaving anyone out? 

Pareto has been offering specialist training for over 25-years. Dedicated to providing innovative training that transforms careers and business development, Pareto is involved in every step of the process, placing the continued success of both learner and business at its core.

End your search for top apprenticeship providers. With a panel of expert apprenticeship advisors, Pareto can advise on any aspect of planning your apprenticeship strategy. For more information, contact us today.

Government-approved Apprenticeship Schemes with Pareto 

Level 4 Sales Executive 

From live prospecting to digital skills and social selling, Pareto’s Sales Executive Level 4 training provides a unique blended experience of methodologies customised to suit client needs and optimise ROI. 

Transferring knowledge via the classroom, e-learning, webinars, and individual and group coaching sessions, Pareto’s Sales Executive Apprenticeship is a lucrative investment for any business dependent on sales expertise for longevity and front line growth.

Level 3 IT Technical Sales 

Pareto’s acclaimed IT Technical Sales Level 3 training empowers learners with current tech trends and tools, making it a vital asset to any company reliant upon modern technology. This training is consistently updated to stay afloat with the latest technical advances, ensuring all participants are ready to jump into the deep end and confidently and profitably swim. 

Covering everything from legislation and regulation to account management, the Level 3 Apprenticeship addresses all the fundamental challenges and need-to-knows of technical sales.

Level 3 Team Leader

The Team Leader Apprenticeship training endows learners with the knowledge, skills, and behavioural understanding required to progress in leading and managing people. 

Although suitable for anyone aspiring to work in a managerial position, this qualification goes beyond typical management apprenticeships, empowering participants with impactful communication skills, building and delivering growth strategies, the drive to enable organisational cultures to thrive, and much more. 

Level 5 Operations Manager

The Operational or Departmental Manager Apprenticeship ticks all the boxes for businesses seeking self-aware leaders trained to handle conflict head-on, negotiate, deliver successful change and innovation strategies, and invite continual business development. Open to a wide range of learners, the course is customisable to suit short-and-long-term employer aims.  

Pareto offers a variety of apprenticeships and sales training options to support both clients and employees in their professional development, no matter the department. Get in touch with one of the top apprenticeship providers and find your ideal training solution.