BUSINESS NETWORK APPRENTICESHIPS
Apprentices as part of your Covid recovery plan
By Paula Allerton (pictured inset), head of apprenticeships and employer engagement at Loughborough College
different work. Despite these challenges, apprenticeships will continue
T
to play a crucial role in the country’s economic and skills recovery, and there is no better time for employers to harness huge Government funding opportunities by bringing apprenticeships on board. Here’s why. The Government recognises the importance
apprenticeships will have in helping the UK economy recover post-Covid, and responded by increasing the financial incentive for companies taking on apprentices. It will give £2,000 for each 16 to 24-year-old hired in
England and £1,500 for those aged 25 and over from 1 August 2020 to 31 March 2021. This is in addition to the flat £1,000 per apprentice offered before. Department for Education data reveals employer
vacancies for apprentices in April and May last year were 2,020 and 1,850 respectively, which compares to 10,400 and 12,580 in the same months of 2019 – demonstrating a significant reduction in apprenticeship starts. Time after time, the evidence shows apprenticeships are
excellent for helping businesses grow, engaging employees and nurturing the skilled workforce needed for the future.
BOOSTING PRODUCTIVITY AND COMPETITIVENESS There is evidence that employing and training apprentices can improve the productivity of businesses, with recent research demonstrating both short and long-term gains. A research study carried out for the Centre for Economics
72 business network February 2021
here is no doubt about it – Covid-19 has had a devastating impact on the UK’s employment. Thousands of people have lost their jobs, the workplace has changed and Covid has shown that many people need to reskill, upskill and find
and Business Research (CEBR) found that, on average, each apprentice brings a gain in productivity of more than £10,000 per year for their employer, with figures for some sectors being even higher.
‘By recruiting and training apprentices, employers can develop people in a way that promotes the specific skills required by their business and industry’
As well as boosting productivity, apprenticeships can also help businesses to compete in the modern marketplace. In industry research, 77% of employers agreed that taking on apprentices helped to make their organisations more competitive.
TRAINING APPRENTICES, BUILDING SKILLS AND KEEPING STAFF A skills gap is currently affecting many organisations and businesses in the UK, meaning it is hard to fill vacancies. However, by recruiting and training apprentices,
employers can develop people in a way that promotes the specific skills required by their business and industry, therefore investing in the future of their people and their business as a whole. Loughborough College works with employers to identify
the correct apprenticeship programme and level to meet their needs, providing a free recruitment service, to ensure apprentices are matched to the organisation and the job role. Many employers are also offering apprenticeships to upskill existing staff and retrain existing workforce. In
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92
