My Appreciation of Apprenticeships

As we are half way through National Apprenticeships Week 2024, I felt it important for me to have my say. Especially as we currently have two members of the team following apprenticeship pathways.

There was once a time that if you wanted to be a success, you had to achieve a university degree, end of conversation. Recently however, a new pattern has begun to emerge, in which the idea that the only thing guaranteed of following that path is more debt than landing a successful job!

Interestingly, the younger generations are seemingly more likely to challenge the working conditions and traditional employee-employer relationships. Individuals are now demanding that they be treated with a level of dignity and fairness that reflects their passion for their life's purpose - and why shouldn't they?

As I mentioned above, university graduates are now discovering that their degrees aren't always enough to get them into the entry-level jobs they are applying for. They find themselves stuck in this loop of needing real-world experience to get a job, but entry-level jobs are looking for 2 years+ experience and their degrees aren't enough to set them apart form other candidates. Apprenticeships offer individuals an opportunity to gain their qualifications whilst banking that "real-life working" experience - proving that this is an effective (and cheaper) alternative to university educations.

Whether it's upskilling an existing employee or recruiting fresh talent, apprenticeships have the power to give businesses a competitive edge. They're more popular now than ever - and it's clear why too.

Commenting from the employer's angle, I truly believe that apprenticeships are a worthwhile investment that employers across all sectors should consider, from entry-level to managerial roles and beyond! They offer so many different benefits ranging from increased employee satisfactions to improved retention rates. These programmes are a proven way to help individuals develop their careers whilst generating results for a business.

These benefits have been extensively researched over the years. Most remarkably, 98% of organisations that currently employ apprentices report experiencing additional benefits to their business, such as navigating the current digital skills gap, which has widened considerably since the COVID-19 pandemic. One of these benefits is increased diversification across the teams in your business. They can help to attract a wide range of people towards your business, from young talent straight out of school or to experienced talent seeking a career change. Bringing these new faces into the team from a variety of different backgrounds brings with it brand new ideas and fresh perspectives, which is bound to only strengthen your business.

Companies that have hired apprentices continue to benefit after the programme is complete and the apprentices themselves go on to become experienced professionals in that field with valuable real working experience.

Taking on apprentices can also significantly reduce the company's recruitment costs, relating to both time and money. These are grants available from the government and running apprenticeship programmes is often cheaper due to the lower apprentice rates within the first 12 months.

Unfortunately, even with all of these benefits, 60% of businesses are not currently employing apprentices, but "may consider doing so in the future". The long-term growth and success of a business relies on its employees to continually develop and upskill.

These apprenticeship programmes are a worthwhile investment in your team and your business. Nurturing young talent through an apprenticeship develops a sense of loyalty to the company and is far more likely to create an engaged workforce.

By employers leading, the catalogue of programmes can grow to close the industry-wide skills gap. From entry-level to management, apprenticeships are an investment in teams at all levels, and a transformative tool for both people and businesses. For those employers that are showing financial concerns of taking on an apprentice, there are government funds and grants that are accessible and can help to cover the costs of an apprenticeship and invest in their teams' future. There are wide-ranging government-led benefits of employing an apprentice, with cash incentives readily available for businesses to make the most of. Employers receive £1000 for hiring an apprentice aged 16 to 18 years old, or aged 19 to 24 with an education, health and care plan or who has been in the care of their local authority.

So with all of this in mind, is it really worth hiring an apprentice?

With promises of increased productivity, fresh ideas and reduced recruitment costs, the advantages I've mentioned above make them seem like a very attractive option. And it's true - hiring an apprentice can deliver a broad range of qualitative and quantitative benefits for your business but, as with everything, it is important to remember there are two sides to the story. Do keep in mind that hiring a new apprentice or enrolling an existing employee in a professional apprenticeship will also require a level of commitment from you as a business, such as providing on-the-job training and allowing your apprentices time away from their day-to-day duties to complete their formal qualifications during work hours. Despite this, I would still say that the advantages heavily outweigh the disadvantages.

At Cold Banana, we are committed to reducing the digital skills gap and ensuring that a career in technology is accessible to everyone. Over the years we have taken on a number of apprentices and helped them carve their way into the working world. Most notably, our now Managing Director Ollie Storey . Ollie originally started out as an apprentice coming into the industry with zero experience. As he discusses in his recent podcast interview with CareersBU at Bournemouth University 's Amanda Fripp , he learnt a lot during that time and continued to do so. Ollie explains that this hands-on experience working with other developers taught him things that he feels he would not have discovered otherwise. We have had nine apprenticeships altogether over the years, within the Technology, Finance and Marketing sectors and are proud to say that all of our previous apprentices have now moved on to higher-skilled and rewarding roles within those industries.

At present, we have two apprentices working with us. Freya, our Digital Marketing Apprentice and Harvey our Software Tester/Engineer Apprentice. Both are doing extremely well and have settled right into the team. We have high hopes for them both and know that they will go on to do great things following the completion of their apprenticeships.

If you are unsure on hiring an apprentice, I hope this article gives you some helpful insights to aid you in your decision.