Most industries survive not only through the incredible amounts of talent at their disposable, but their ability to recruit, train and nurture the experts, specialists and business leaders of the future.
Whilst there are many pathways to acquiring talent, from recruiting from within the industry, to graduate roles to finding young talent through apprenticeship providers, the latter has proven to be increasingly popular as it allows for flexible education and long-term job security.
There are a considerable number of different apprenticeship schemes at a range of levels, durations and final qualification types, from one-year intermediate apprenticeships that provide foundational skills all the way to five-year schemes that provide an apprentice with a degree-level qualification in the end.
Here are the steps an employer needs to take to bring in an apprentice.
Find The Right Apprenticeship
Ever since the development of the modern apprenticeship scheme, there have been a lot of available apprenticeships and institutions and providers to help provide the in-class training portion of the course.
As well as allowing for 20 per cent of an apprentice’s working hours to be used exclusively for dedicated training or study, they also need to work with experienced staff whilst on the job and learn job-specific skills as part of the course.
Alternatively, a training agency can be used to employ the apprentice on the employer’s behalf but still be provided with the same on-the-job opportunities and skill development.
Check For Funding
Once an employer has found an apprenticeship scheme that is right for them, it is time to check what funding and grants are available to help pay for training, assessment and the other expenses that are often invoked.
How much an employer will pay often depends on their size, and specifically whether they pay the apprenticeship levy or not, although there are schemes and rules related to this.
Advertise The Placement
Apprenticeship roles can be advertised in a range of places as well as on the government’s own job board or be advertised directly by a training provider.
Once you begin to get applications an employer can follow their usual recruitment procedures to decide on which apprentice to take on, although they must ensure they are eligible to work in the UK before they are taken on.
Draft And Sign Apprenticeship Agreement
Before the apprentice can start the training course, they must sign an apprenticeship agreement with their new employer.
This includes the main details of the course the employer is providing, including:
The trade, skill or occupation that is being trained,
The specific name of the qualification,
The start and end dates for the apprenticeship,
The level of training that will be provided.
Templates are available, but providing they meet government guidelines they can be written by the employer.
Sign A Commitment Statement
As well as this, the employer, apprentice and training provider must all sign a commitment statement, which provides details of the schedule and content that will be included in the training course, the expectations and offers of all three parties, and how to fix any issues, complaints or questions surrounding the course.