It’s nearing the end of National Apprenticeship Week, so it felt important to talk about the opportunities apprenticeships can provide, both for a learner and a business.
As many of you may know, we currently have two apprentices at Infinity Digital: Hal and Abbi.
Hal previously completed a Graphic Design Degree, with his apprenticeship specialising in the content creation and social media side of digital marketing. Abbi comes from a content writing background and works on PPC campaigns and SEO. They both are currently completing their Level 3 Digital Marketing Apprenticeship with The Development Manager (TDM) based in Worcester.
In many workplaces, there can be a little bit of doubt as to what an apprentice can offer, and why someone would choose to hire an apprentice over training someone in a standard role. Hopefully, this article will show you many benefits of employing or enrolling an existing employee into an apprenticeship scheme, as well as help beat the stigma that can sometimes be associated.
Why Should I Hire an Apprentice? 🤔
An apprenticeship is a great way to gain hands-on experience in the workplace, while also continuing to develop learning and put these skills into practice. By introducing an apprentice into the workplace, you open a window for fresh insight into your business. The knowledge learnt applies directly to your company as it is taught alongside work routines, meaning this can be specialised, compared to generalised university courses.
During an apprenticeship, the learner will be able to gain certifications relevant to their industry, providing a beneficial way to upskill your staff. These certifications may be in areas that your workplace would otherwise not develop as much, allowing you to have specialised members of staff that could suggest new approaches to your everyday routines and therefore expand your operations. Apprenticeships aren’t just for new recruits either. You can enrol any of your existing staff members on a course as a cost-effective way to invest in your employees, using a level 6 apprenticeship as an alternative option for gaining a degree qualification, without the expense of university fees.
In our office, Hal is currently in the process of completing his BCS Principles of Coding certification, which will allow him to develop a site’s SEO beyond what you see on the page. Hal and Abbi both will gain this, as well as their BCS Marketing Principles and BCS Digital Marketing Principles certificates on their course.
Will an apprentice produce the same quality of work as a new trainee?
While scrolling through LinkedIn’s apprenticeship week content, most posts seen have been highly praising all the apprenticeships in the country. There has, however, been a recurring theme with people talking about “they’re only an apprentice”. These negative views and stigma are something that can often be associated with apprenticeships and simply aren’t true.
Apprentices can come from a variety of backgrounds, and experience levels and are not all high school leavers entering the workforce, as many people may think. The National Apprenticeship Service’s survey found that by employing an apprentice, 92% of companies had a more motivated and satisfied workforce, proving how inspiring these pathways can be.
There has been a lot of talk about the Government’s poor use of the Apprenticeship Levy, but apprenticeships are still very much being encouraged. In fact, due to so many observing the misuse of this funding, many private-sector companies and individuals have come forward to offer a solution, such as Multiverse apprenticeships, funded by Euan Blair. All these new opportunities are evidence that apprenticeships are still a thriving entry point to new careers and will not be going away any time soon.
Apprenticeship Week 2023 (#naw2023!) 🎉
As a team, we’ve gotten involved in a few projects for apprenticeship week. Jacob provided a great video for The Development Manager, talking about his experience in hiring two apprentices.
If you’d like to hear his thoughts, you can view this on their LinkedIn post.
Hal and Abbi have also contributed to the conversation, creating a post for Worcestershire County Council and Apprenticeships Standards ‘Proud to be an Apprentice’ campaign.
We’re sure you will spot lots more contributions from them in the future! ♾️
