The 3 to 9 February marks National Apprenticeship Week, an opportunity to highlight the benefits apprenticeships bring to both individuals and organisations.
With a growing skills shortage, offering someone a chance to learn a trade and develop skills that will support them well into the future, is clearly great news for everyone.
If you are undecided, we’ve come up with five reasons why we think you should consider hiring an apprentice:
- Skills gap
The skills gap is no joke. Not only does it put increased pressure on existing staff, but it can mean the recruitment process takes much longer and that employers have to pay more to attract skilled workers for those in-demand roles. Encouraging young people into careers such as engineering, plumbing and construction is a priority if we want to close the gap and prevent even greater skill gaps in the future. - New ideas
Ok, so things are often done a certain way for a very good reason, and the new kid on the block isn’t going to change that. However, people new to the industry are not constrained by how things have been done in the past and this can give them the ability to think outside the box and approach problems with fresh thinking. - Boost productivity
Getting experienced staff to do the work that, with training, an apprentice could easily handle and learn from, just doesn’t make sense. Make the best use, and get the best value, from of all your employees by utilising their skills and experience where it matters most. - Invest in existing staff
Apprenticeships aren’t just for school leavers. People of all ages can, and do, undertake apprenticeships. Giving the opportunity to an existing member of staff to develop new skills and grow their knowledge, could be a win/win situation for them and your business. - Develop skills in your staff
Apprentices must work alongside experienced staff, which clearly offers benefits to the apprentice, but have you considered the benefits training and coaching an apprentice could bring to an experienced staff member? Training others can help an individual grow a multitude of skills including assertiveness, time management, and persuasion skills as well as helping them to brush up on basic skills and core knowledge.
Find out more about National Apprenticeship Week, click here.
