5 Ways That An Apprentice Can Improve Your Workplace
It’s National Apprenticeship Week, and now that I’m halfway through my apprenticeship I thought I’d share my experience and how apprentices can benefit your organisation.
Whether you’re an employer considering hiring an apprentice, or maybe you’re an apprentice looking to understand what apprenticeships are like from the company’s perspective, you’re in the right place.
It’s worth noting that I initially went to university before changing course and enrolling onto my digital marketing apprenticeship. Personally, I think there are benefits to both, but my experience so far of my apprenticeship has been that I’m able to gain more practical skills for the world of work, have been able to build up a portfolio to showcase my skills, and feel more secure in my future employment than I did when I graduated from university.
While my university experience helped me gain a lot of skills, I felt that it was hard to stand out to employers, and after the country was hit by Covid-19 and opportunities for jobs seem to be less consistent, I decided I needed to pick up some extra, more practical skills.
As an employer, you may be asking yourself “what’s in it for me?”. Well, according to www.apprenticeships.gov.uk, 78% of employers said apprenticeships helped them improve productivity, and 74% said apprenticeships helped them improve the quality of their product or service. There’s no doubt that apprentices can give your business a little boost, but let’s get into the nitty gritty of why that may be…
1. You can adapt your apprentice’s training to your organisation
Are you looking for someone to fill a particular job role? Or perhaps you have specific tools or software that each new recruit needs training in any way. Hiring an apprentice is the perfect way to ensure that employees have the training necessary for your business – no more sifting through lots of CVs and coming up short!
Your apprentice is likely hoping to be with your company for the long term. In fact, it’s thought that around 64% of apprentices continue working with the same employer. So, ensuring that their training will be relevant by tailoring it to the job role they’re working towards within your company will help keep them engaged.
2. Apprentices are motivated to learn new skills
Most apprentices will be delighted to finally be out of the classroom and working on something more practical. Plus, your apprentice will have chosen their specific field and specific job out of all of the other options that were available to them. Chances are they’re keen on that subject and will be eager to learn as much as they can about it. And don’t forget you’ll be able to interview them before choosing them, so you can feel confident in your choice of apprentice.
As a little bonus, your apprentice can often pick up additional qualifications through the training they do to complete their apprenticeship. For example, as part of my apprenticeship I will also be picking up a qualification from Google in their Analytics software without having to take any extra time or money to complete it, and it will go towards my final apprenticeship qualification.
3. You can use an apprenticeship to upskill a current employee
Take out the stress of having to advertise a job and interview people, by upskilling your current team. Do you have an employee who is an asset to the team that you’d love to give more responsibility to, but they just don’t have the training? Putting them on an apprenticeship will benefit both of you, by allowing them to broaden their skill set and move up in your company, and allowing you to train them in a cost effective way tailored to your business.
4. Young people offer a fresh perspective
Each generation has fresh knowledge and experiences that they can bring into the workplace. For example, they may be able to pick up skills in technology quicker, or they might be more up to date with trends that could help you develop products or create the most engaging social media content. By bringing in someone with different experiences and views, you can open your company’s opportunities and encourage an open and healthy workplace culture.
5. You can get funding for training an apprentice
Training apprentices is a cost-effective way to train and recruit staff because you can receive funding to take them on. Furthermore, you can save on their salary while they’re training because 20% of their time will be spent training for their course. Find out more about how much funding your organisation qualifies for here.
Throughout my training with One Electrical and Apprentify, I’ve learned how to build websites, run social media campaigns, the basics of coding, and how to use tools and software like Adobe Photoshop and InDesign. My apprenticeship has exceeded expectations and I’ve been given more skills and trust than I anticipated, and it’s led to me building my confidence and security for my future.
Do you have any questions about apprenticeships? Whether it’s from the perspective of the apprentice or the employer, feel free to drop us a message and ask anything you like.
And if you’re interested in following Natalie’s progress as well as any other One Electrical news and product launches, follow us on Instagram @oneelectrical1.
Sources:
https://get-trained.org/latest-news/top-10-reasons-employ-apprentice