Apprenticeships have long been prevalent in the engineering industry but have grown in popularity in all areas in recent years – maybe owing to the introduction of the Apprenticeship Levy in 2017. According to UCAS, there are now approximately 1500 different job role apprenticeships available in England, making them an excellent first step onto lots of different career ladders.
At DATS, we’re proud to have seen great success with our own apprenticeship programme, having even won an industry award for it in 2018. With a wide variety of benefits for both apprentices and those employing them, we expect that apprenticeships will be a popular route into the world of work for many years to come. Here, we share what we believe are just some of those benefits for those offering apprenticeships, as well as those completing them.
Advantages for apprentices:
Earn as you learn
Say goodbye to student loans, tuition fees and worries surrounding debt. With an apprenticeship your employer actually pays you. Starting salaries may not be the highest, but there is nothing for you to pay. In stead, you’re being paid for gaining the training, support and skills you need to succeed in your chosen career.
Gain real ‘on the job’ experience
Completing an apprenticeship is like doing work experience every day. You’re not only sitting in a classroom learning the theory behind your job; you’re in the working environment, gaining ‘hands on’ experience and witnessing masters of your trade in action every day.
Hit the ground running
Gaining all that ‘hands on’ experience means that finding a job at the end of your apprenticeship may be slightly easier. Many apprentices are offered opportunities and roles with their employer on completion of their training, but if they don’t have a role for you, the fact you can hit the ground running and have already gained skills in your area of expertise, means employers are more likely to snap you up over candidates who may need more development. Apprentices are also often able to enter employment earlier than candidates who have taken more traditional routes of learning.
Advantages for employers:
Grow your own talent
One of the reasons we believe our own apprenticeship programme has been so successful is that we’ve been able to ‘grow our own talent.’ We needed to bring in more recruiters and what better way to do it than to train individuals in our own systems and processes, in turn helping us to achieve our business goals. An apprenticeship scheme can form an important part of your succession planning strategy.
Become an employer of choice
Having an apprenticeship scheme in place, and promoting it, is a sure-fire way to attract people to your business. Potential employees like to know that you’re a company that invests in people and their development. It also gives you the perfect opportunity to engage with your community and build relationships with local colleges, schools etc.
Retain your staff
Providing you have a role for your apprentice/s following completion of their training, statistics show that they’re likely to stay with you for some time. Apprentices will value the fact that you’ve helped them to achieve their qualifications and have offered them an environment in which they can develop and grow. They’re likely to feel part of your culture, committed, loyal and satisfied within your business.
If you want to find out more about how you can set up a successful apprenticeship scheme within your organisation, or are wondering how you can gain engineering training through an apprenticeship route, get in touch with us today. We look forward to speaking with you.
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