Why hire an apprentice
Why you should hire an apprentice for your business
There are many reasons to hire an apprentice, we have highlighted below a select number of the benefits your business would gain when hiring an apprentice.
Cost
Many companies are still behind the times when it comes to apprentices and are more focused on the hear and now. Recruiting apprentices is a much more cost affective solution to acquiring talent as and when needed. If as an employer you were to plan ahead and implement a talent management structure you will be able to identify the skills gaps you will have in the future saving you money on your future recruitment activities.
Knowledge
As with any company knowledge is critical for your companies survival and many employees move between companies either for their own progression and development or because they have been head hunted from competitors. It is a very expensive exercise for companies to let this valuable knowing walk out the door, however with a steady flow of apprentices learning these skills and knowledge with on the job training you can be sure you will have a successful knowledge transfer solution.
Sustainability
As a business you want to grow and build a reputable brand and to do so you will need to recruit. However the relevant skills required may not be available, this could be due to your company operations or simply because there is a major skills shortage. Hiring apprentices will help your business grow and be more sustainable.
Apprenticeship Levy
Since the introduction of the Apprenticeship Levy companies with a salary bill of over £3m per annum have to pay .5% of their whole salary bill into the pot. The levy is there to help encourage your business to recruit apprentices or alternatively develop existing employees through the apprenticeship route. Your levy pot can also be used/allocated to smaller SME’s such as suppliers or sub-contractors your company uses, up to a value of 20% of your pot.
EVP
Hiring apprentices is great for your employer brand proposition. When budding apprentice are researching who they want to start an apprenticeship with they also look at career prospects and feel valued for the hard work they will be doing. Advertising Apprenticeships sets you apart from the competition and demonstrates to your future employees that you support their career development and enhances your EVP.
Skills Shortages
No matter what your business sector in the UK you will inevitably experience skills shortages at some point whether your are a civil engineering company or an IT consultancy. The UK is experiencing one of the worst skills shortages on record due to high employment rates. Apprentices help you to stop this from happing as long as you can identify future skills requirements.
Qualifications
Does your business require specialist skills or experience that can be obtained through degrees? Now with the introduction of Degree Apprenticeships you can up skill your work force and map out their career path as an apprentice. Study and training to achieve degree qualifications through the apprenticeship route can take up to five years depending on the level of qualification. As a business you would need to partner with a university to be able to offer this level of apprenticeship.
