Young people across the country are looking for their next step, could you be the business that provides them with their big break? As a business, there are many reasons why an apprentice could benefit your business!
1.Gaining New Skills in the Workplace
As a business, you have the choice to work with an existing employee and put them on an apprenticeship or you can hire a new learner as an apprentice. Either way, your employee will learn new skills and therefore, provide your business with skilled workers for the future! Training as an apprentice helps them improve their skills, benefiting the company in the long run. The apprenticeship will ensure that the skills developed through the course and job are suited to the role, matching the company’s needs. In doing this, not only does the apprentice gain new skills, and the business gains a solid worker, but it means that there will be no gaps in the skills being developed, allowing the business to invest in them becoming a manager/leader in the future without needing to recruit.
2. Loyalty from existing staff heightens.
Staff loyalty and retention is increased. Those workers who have been trained and learnt in-house usually have higher motivation and commitment to the job. Not just this, but they are more supportive of the businesses objectives and what the business stands for. Apprentices will gain this loyalty in working and learning on the job. As an apprentice, you are working towards your career, this will benefit the attitude of the workplace, influencing other employees to think of their job as a career and therefore, want to stay with the company longer, reducing recruitment costs. By offering an apprenticeship to existing members of staff, you will make them feel valued by the business and a precious part of the workforce, and therefore, happy to invest in their future with the organisation. It is recorded by the National Apprenticeship Service that 92% of companies who take on apprentices believe it leads to a more motivated workforce! 80% of businesses using apprenticeships have said they have seen a huge increase in employee retention.
3. An apprentice will increase your bottom-line.
Having an apprentice will increase your bottom line! Investing in an apprentice and getting them trained has proven to have a positive effect on a business’ finances. Research from the National Apprenticeship Service has demonstrated that 81% of consumers favour companies that take on apprentices. As organisations receive funding for each apprentice taken on by an organisation, not only do apprentices improve a company’s financial performance, but they are also an incredibly inexpensive way of training staff, both new and existing.
4. Increase in productivity rate.
Having an apprentice will free up existing staff time. When a business grows, sometimes staff find that smaller tasks take up their time when they should be focusing on greater tasks that focus on key areas of their work. By giving these jobs to an apprentice (providing they are suited to their course and role) it allows them to take responsibility for jobs and gain different experiences. This allows other, more experienced staff members to focus on their main tasks making the workforce more productive.
5. Apprentices bring fresh new ideas.
Having an apprentice as a part of your organisation can revitalise the company. Apprentices often bring a fresh approach with a positive attitude to the workplace, this may influence other workers leading to a more productive workforce. Apprentices will bring new energy to the business, with a passion to learn and bring new ideas to the table. Each apprentice will have a different background, whether they are a University graduate, or someone who chose to get into the world of work over University. Apprentices can bring fresh insight into your business decisions. Employing an apprentice is a great way of injecting new, creative ideas into the organisation. The way in which apprentices approach problem-solving can be different to other staff, which can lead to new and innovative ways of working.
6. Improves communication
Having an apprentice will impact your staff and how they process a normal working day. Having someone inexperienced and giving staff someone to nurture will bring on another role and develop these interpersonal skills. This will have a knock-on effect on how the staff treat one another around the business, making them more supportive of one another, potentially leading to a wider impact across the whole organisation. Usually, apprentices are younger and staff members want to pass on their knowledge which in turn improves communication and morale, boosting relationships around the workplace. If your business is encountering a skills shortage an apprentice may be the perfect solution! They can be the perfect answer and relish the opportunity to make a great impression leading to an even greater change.
7. Availability
Apprenticeships have grown massively and vacancies are now available in all industries, so it is likely that an apprenticeship scheme will be available in your working industry! There are apprentices available in over 200 industries with up to 1,500 job roles. Apprenticeships are able to adapt to many different businesses. Having such a wide variety of industries means that there are a lot of different job roles available; it could be possible to build your business on apprentices. It can, therefore, be an exciting experience when trying to find an apprentice because it can open new doors to taking on more than one apprentice and furthering them into the business.
