Apprenticeships help to boost productivity – but they can be stereotyped as laboursome by employers considering investing in their true power to either onboard new colleagues or upskill existing members of staff.
It’s an assumption we at Ignite Training are keen to end, which is why we’ve made it the seventh topic of our myth-busting series.
Contrary to belief:
78% say apprentices helped improved productivity
It’s well-known by businesses already using apprenticeships to upskill new and existing staff that colleagues rapidly develop skillsets relevant to their role even before finishing their qualification.
We explore the topic in our latest blog.
Apprenticeships – how they work
Vocational training in its modern format is entirely unrecognisable to how apprenticeships were delivered even a decade ago.
For an employer investing in apprenticeships, there are two primary commitments:
- Wage: This only applies to new employees, there is no requirement for existing colleagues enrolling onto an apprenticeship to receive a salary increase.
- Time: Apprentices must dedicate a minimum of six hours of their working week to training, we go into more detail on this below.
Six hours of a person’s working week is a long time. But employers shouldn’t allow training requirements to spook them from understanding the wider benefits of apprenticeships.
After all, training is tailored to the learner and delivered externally by experienced and qualified tutors. Furthermore, training isn’t restricted to theory. It expands to shadowing and mentoring, attending industry visits, working with mentors and applying new skills into the real world.
Developing key and relevant skills
The apprenticeship definition of training is why employers experience improved levels of productivity.
Skills, plus new knowledge and behaviours, are applied into the real world immediately – bringing fresh ideas and new enthusiasm to your workforce both operationally and professionally.
Naturally, this enhances productivity and outcomes for both employers and employees and contributes positively to boosting staff retention which we talk about in more detail here.
“Non-intrusive learning”
The Albion Foundation has used apprenticeships to develop the skillsets of its coaches at the start of their careers, and to upskill existing – experienced – colleagues.
As the official charity partner of West Bromwich Albion FC, its team works with people of all ages to create positive change in the community by harnessing the power of football.
Lee Meacham, Workforce Development Coordinator at The Albion Foundation, said providing apprenticeships to colleagues is key to the charity’s success and its ability to change lives.
He said: “Placing the achievements of apprentices to one side, by allowing colleagues the opportunity to fast-track their own personal development we as a charity are directly enhancing our delivery and productivity.
“A key vision of our work is to engage, inspire and help those we work with achieve their true potential. All those deliverables will be felt during a person’s apprenticeship journey.
“What is essential to understand is that learning is entirely non-intrusive. It’s tailored to every learner to fit around their lifestyle, which is what has made apprenticeships at The Albion Foundation such a value add for our colleagues and the charity.”
You can read Lee’s column as part of our National Apprenticeship Week celebrations by clicking here.
In summary
So there you have it.
Increasing productivity, boosting staff retention and adding new skillsets to your team. Apprenticeships in their modern format must be considered by organisations keen to develop their team and services.
Our full list of myth-busting articles can be viewed online by clicking here.
