Apprenticeships have come a long way in recent years. Historically focused on trade-based industries such as carpentry, joinery and hairdressing and beauty, apprenticeships are now available for thousands of different jobs across a range of industries.
From careers in marketing, to financial and professional services, and project management to name just a few, there is an apprenticeship for almost every career path.
With an apprenticeship, most of the learning is through on-the-job training whilst working towards a qualification at the same time. Apprentices are paid a salary and are given dedicated study time throughout the week.
There are many progression routes available, including apprenticeships for school leavers aged 16 to the introduction of higher and degree apprenticeships which offer university-level qualifications while working.
Apprenticeships offer the chance to gain valuable skills, higher earning potential and for many people, improved life chances.
Alongside this, they bring a multitude of benefits to employers.
To celebrate National Apprenticeship Week 2024 (5th – 9th February), we invited Natalie Smith, Business Development Team Manager at Leeds City College, part of Luminate Education Group, to host a very special session around the benefits of apprenticeships for employers in Leeds.
Following the event, Natalie has shared her top four benefits that apprenticeships can bring to your business:
Fill skills gap
Hiring an apprentice is a productive and effective way to grow talent, develop a motivated, skilled, and qualified workforce and ultimately, fill your skills gaps! According to data from GOV.UK, 86% of employers said apprenticeships helped them to develop skills relevant to their organisation, and ultimately the skills that were required to support business growth.
Fresh thinking and new ideas
An apprentice can bring a fresh outlook into your company based on new ideas and the latest research and techniques that they learn in college. Whether they’re joining as a school leaver, or someone looking to change career, it’s a fantastic way to add new talent into your team.
Boost productivity
78% of employers reported improved productivity of all staff after introducing an apprenticeship scheme into the organisation. How? The new learning that an apprentice can bring into a team helps improve other employee’s efficiencies in their own roles. What’s more, having an apprentice can free up the time of senior figures, so they can focus on key areas of their work, whilst the apprentice picks up day-to-day tasks.
Promotes loyalty
After completing an apprenticeship, 90% of apprentices stay in their place of work. The main reason being that the apprentice feels loyal to the business, after they showed a commitment to them through their training. This means you not only add a loyal employee to your workforce – making it more likely to keep staff turnover low – but you continue to benefit from their new skills. It also generally promotes a positive workplace culture that put emphasis on making employees feel valued and supported.
Interested in introducing apprenticeships for the first time within your business, or potentially adding more into new areas? Leeds City College has a dedicated apprenticeship recruitment and employer engagement team that supports businesses with recruiting and upskilling staff.
Its team visits your business and assesses skills gap and training requirements. From here, they build a tailored training package and identify what training and development would be most suitable, which might include an apprenticeship route.
Get in touch with Natalie and her team by emailing employers@leedscitycollege.ac.uk, or visit the website here.
