What Is An Apprenticeship Programme?

With a wave of school leavers every September, students have many opportunities to decide between. One of them is working on an apprenticeship to develop skills that can progress in to a long term career. There is a misconception around apprentices being a burden on resources, however with the introduction of the apprenticeship levy, this is no longer the case.

The apprenticeship levy was introduced in the UK by the government as a tax on large UK employers with over £3mn per annum with the purpose of funding apprenticeships. The government now funds around 90% towards apprenticeship programmes.

What are the benefits Of Hiring An Apprentice?

Since the introduction of the Apprenticeship Levy, over £1.8bn has been contributed in the UK but only £108mn has been withdrawn by businesses to pay for apprenticeships. If you have not had any plans to invest in your Levy funds then now is the time to revaluate this stance as you risk losing it after April 2019.

Just some of the benefits that an apprenticeship programme could have on your business include:

• There is evidence from the Open University that *83% of businesses in 2018 have had a good to excellent experience using an apprenticeship programme.
• Many apprentices are known to stay on and develop a long term career at their place of employment with the right support and training, making them a valuable investment to your business.
• While it is widely believed that employers think that apprentices may be too young for the workplace, the Open University has also found that “37% of organisations have found that offering apprenticeships has helped them to retain employees and attract new talent.” This shows that apprenticeships can actually improve a workforce environment.
• The apprenticeship levy gives you the opportunity to develop skills in an employee without the heavy investment costs on salaried employees.

How GBS And HIVE360 Work To Deliver Apprenticeships

We will work with you to design and deliver an apprenticeship programme that will allow you to make the most of apprenticeship levy funds while benefiting your business and workforce. We work with Equal Online and specialist Apprenticeship training provider GBS to deliver courses designed to work for apprentices so that you are able to develop their skills and make the most of their time with you. We will provide support and help manage your apprentices to make sure that they are a valuable employment service investment to your business.

To find out more about how HIVE360 (and our strategic partners) can help you design and manage an apprenticeship programme at your business, please get in touch using the contact form at the bottom of the page or call us on 0121 661 4851.