Apprenticeships 

Apprenticeships make a valuable contribution to your business by enabling you to recruit and train new employees or train your existing staff. The benefits to your business include increased productivity and profitability, improved competitiveness and a committed and competent work-force.

Improve Productivity

Because apprentices receive relevant training, they can have an immediate effect and make a real and more meaningful contribution to your business. Their training is ‘on the job’, so they can directly gain from the skills and experience of those around them.

Motivate your Workshop

Apprenticeships are available to both new and current employees. As a result of their training, apprentices are highly motivated and eager to know more. The extra responsibility also makes them feel more valued and they are easier to retain in the long term.

Relevant Training

Apprenticeships provide your workforce with expertise that’s not only specific to your industry, but also directly relevant to your business. They are literally designed around your business needs by industry specialists who genuinely understand what you do.

Avoid Skill Shortages

Change and innovation are always with us. New advances are constantly challenging us to keep pace or catch up. Apprenticeships can help your workforce master the latest techniques to fill the skills gaps you have and insure against those that are likely to arise. By taking on apprentices, you develop the specialist skills you need to keep pace with the latest technology and working practices in your sector.

What Employers Say

Employers with apprentices say they have had the following impact on their business:

• 77% of employers believe Apprenticeships make them more competitive;
• 76% say that apprentices provide higher overall productivity;
• 80% feel that Apprenticeships reduce staff turnover;
• 83% of employers rely on their Apprenticeships programme to provide the skilled workers that they need for the future;
• Two-thirds of employers believe that their Apprenticeship programme helps them fill vacancies more quickly;
• 57% report a high proportion of their apprentices going on to management positions within the company;
• Over three-quarters of employers expect Apprenticeships to play a bigger part in their recruitment policy in the future.

What is an Apprenticeship?

 Apprenticeships are available at two levels:

• Apprenticeship – Level 2 which equates to the employee having 5 good GCSE qualifications;
• Advanced Apprenticeship – Level 3 which equates to the employee having 2 ‘A’ Level qualifications.

The training content of an Apprenticeship comprises of three elements:

• A competence element gained from working and gaining experience on the job with more experienced employees and trainers leading to a National Vocational Qualification (NVQ).
• A knowledge based element, which is usually done off the job either at the employer’s premises or at a local specialist training or college provider, leading to qualifications such as City & Guilds or a BTEC.  This element provides the theoretical knowledge of how and why things are done in the trade or job.

• A key skills element which ensures that employees have the right level of communication skills, along with working with others and problem solving skills that employers need from their staff.

The length of an apprenticeship varies depending on the level and content of the training but typically a Level 2 apprenticeship will last for 13–15 months, whilst a Level 3 (Advanced Apprenticeship) will be 18 months–3 years.

Who can become an Apprentice?

Many people believe that Apprenticeships are just for young people but in reality today’s apprentices cover a wide age range from 16 years of age through to people in their fifties.

Funding for training

The Learning and Skills Council (LSC) will make a significant contribution towards the costs of the training and in many cases the complete training costs will be covered.

As an employer you would be expected to employ the apprentice and pay the relevant salary that reflects their skills, experience and age. The minimum salary that can be paid to an apprentice is £80 per week, rising to £95 in August 2009.

Further Information

If you would like further information on apprenticeships our skills brokerage service can help. A skills broker will visit your office at a time to suit you and discuss all your training and development needs.  They will:

• provide a diagnostic to establish any skills gaps that exist in your business
• identify the training needs that will fill the gaps now and in the future
• help you meet your skills requirements by assisting you to choose the most suitable training and training provider
• ensure you get the best value for money from your investment in training

You can get in touch with a skills adviser on 0845 00 66 888 or email: information@traintogainnw.org