While National Apprenticeship Week is an inspiring and exciting time for those working within Apprenticeships, it is also important to remember that apprentices are working hard all year around. All of this hard work does pay off, in the form of advantages for apprentices and employers.
Celebrating Apprentices
If you are considering undertaking an apprenticeship, you might be wondering how you can benefit from this experience over more ‘traditional’ routes of study or employment. Let’s break it down, shall we?
- Unlike studying a degree at university, where you rack up student debt, an apprenticeship gives you the opportunity to earn while you learn – monthly wages plus no student loan.
- Not only do you save yourself from student loans, but apprentices also get student discount.
- Apprenticeships offer great opportunities to progress, as there are so many apprenticeship standards at so many levels. This means that you are able to choose an apprenticeship that best suits you.
- As well as educational progression, advanced apprenticeships are an incredible route into future earning potential. Once your course is completed, you can enjoy marked salary increases, as well as those with an advanced apprenticeship typically earning about £117,000 more over the course of their career than those without.
- One of the biggest benefits of apprenticeships is that you can learn the skills that employers are actually looking for. This means that not only are you gaining all of the required knowledge academically, but you also have the workplace skills and experience to impress future (and current) employers.
Celebrating Employers
For employers who have never hired an apprentice before, the process can seem a bit overwhelming. However, there are various amazing benefits of apprenticeships for a business, and these are a few of the ones worth considering:
- Apprenticeship training is cost-effective for businesses, because apprentices contribute to the workplace as they learn. One of the best bits of apprenticeships are the on-the-job skills acquired during the process.
- Need to boost productivity in your office? Research shows that apprentices bring an increase in productivity for their employer. Not only this, but the majority of apprenticeship employers agreed that hiring apprentices made their business more competitive in the modern marketplace.
- Crucially, apprenticeships are brilliant for filling skills gaps in your company. This type of training can be tailored to provide the exact skills you need for your business. Alternatively, you can use an apprenticeship to upskill existing staff.
- Providing opportunities for training and/or upskilling has been shown to increase staff retention within a business. It increases employee loyalty as well as engagement and motivation.
University of Kent offer a fully managed apprenticeship service which will support both business and student throughout the degree apprenticeship.