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The Power of Apprenticeships: 5 Reasons Why You Should Hire an Apprentice

26 April 2024

Apprenticeships should be considered both a duty and a privilege by all organisations.

Apprenticeship programs allow people starting in an industry to learn while applying their studies to the real workplace. This is very important for developing the next generation of professionals and provides an innumerable number of benefits to employers.

We are lucky and privileged to have Cole Vyas as an apprentice on our marketing team. Cole has been with us for two and a half years, and in that time, he was an integral part in securing our 2024 Feefo Platinum Award status.

For Apprentice Week 2024, we would like to take a moment to mark this day by highlighting the benefits of apprenticeships and why they’re so important.

What are the Benefits of Hiring an Apprentice?
Apprentices bring a whole host of benefits and upsides – and their role in building a business's future cannot be understated.

What better way to celebrate the positive impacts of apprentices than by looking at five astounding reasons an apprentice could be precisely what your organisation needs?

1. Apprentices Are Motivated to Learn New Skills

Arguably, the most important reason is that ambitious apprentices want to implement new skills, learn your trade, and seize opportunities. They have trusted and chosen you to help them build a future. And with that trust comes a tidal wave of enthusiasm. The right person as an apprentice will absorb information like a sponge thanks to the passion they bring to work every day.

It’s also an effective way to train and educate a new member of your workforce who will develop an affinity and loyalty for your organisation after you have invested in them as a person and their career.

As mentioned earlier, Cole was integral to Astutis achieving the Feefo Platinum Award status this and last year by responding to customer feedback, ensuring that customers were happy with their experience, and supporting the department by conducting market and SEO research. It was a tough adjustment at first, but with his exceptional passion and drive, he quickly found his feet.

“Learning about our process on the Feefo Review platform was a big learning curve for me. I think it is such an important task with the amazing customer service delivery in Astutis. Doing that justice and getting those reviews in is important. I was particularly proud of that moment and being able to experience that as a part of my work - I’m very grateful for it.”

2. Apprentices Improve Productivity and Service Quality

There is a common misconception across some industries that apprentices slow down production and impede business objectives. This couldn’t be further from the truth. 78% of employers said apprenticeships helped them improve productivity. Additionally, 74% of employers said apprenticeships helped them improve the quality of their product or service. You are working with a blank slate, and the duality of theory and application will quickly build a great deal of competence from the offset.

Our Digital Marketing Manager, Eleonora, who has served as Cole’s mentor throughout his placement, knows this sentiment very well.

“Cole has become an integral part of the Astutis Marketing team! Throughout his apprenticeship, he has supported and led multiple key projects that directly contributed to Astutis’ success. His input is invaluable, and we are proud to watch him grow into the talented Marketing professional he was always destined to become.”

3. Apprentices Work Whilst They Train

As organisations get more significant and workload increases, putting time aside to train new starters becomes more complicated when there is much work to be done. Having an apprentice allows you to share that workload with them whilst they learn from you. You also spread the workload of training them across to another education or training provider, which is a smaller commitment than training someone from the start by yourself. We asked Cole about this two-pronged approach and its impact on his learning.

“It gives you an understanding of how it's applied in the real world, not just in a classroom and a lecture theatre and on the slides, you can put that link between the two. A lot of the things that you would be worried about when you graduate, like imposter syndrome or being worried about that first job and finding your feet, are dealt with during your training.”

4. They Can Suit the Needs of Your Business

You can adapt their training according to the needs of your organisation. 86% of employers said apprenticeships helped them develop skills relevant to their organisation. Accounting, Marketing, IT, Construction, Operations and Customer Services are just a small number of departments that can take on apprentices based on your business needs.

5. It’s an Effective Way to Upskill Your Workforce

As mentioned, apprentices spend the other half of their workweek studying their craft. This works symbiotically with the work they do with you. They will gain a deep understanding of their work through the almost immediate application of their study, reducing the overall learning curve and providing you with an academically sound worker.

How Can You Make the Most of Hiring an Apprentice?
Be crystal clear about their role and objectives, as well as your expectations. This works for both you and them, as you can monitor their progress regularly to ensure they are meeting the needs of their training plan. Make sure time is allocated for them to learn through a variety of different sources.

Investing in the best quality training and education for your apprentices is vital to their growth in a role – and Astutis have a wide range of industry-specific courses that you might find helpful. Eleonora shared some of her best practices for maximising your apprentice’s potential.

“Employers have a duty to support their apprentices and provide them with the right tools to succeed. I have a few rules I like to stick with.

You should treat them as a team member, not as a part-time apprentice!
Spend time with them and help your apprentice identify their strengths and weaknesses. This will support the correct project involvement, and it will enhance their overall job satisfaction.

Ensure your apprentice’s project involvement matches their current academic modules. This will support both employers and apprentices make the most out of the experience and putting the theory into practice.”

Finally, create a supportive environment for them to learn in. The right mentorship and guiding hand will encourage them to learn and grow. Nurturing their progress will make them feel valued, increasing their desire to work hard and succeed.

Apprentices can be pivotal in an organisation's growth and will undoubtedly make an impact from the very beginning of their program. That momentum will only continue to snowball as their knowledge and experience develop, leading them to become an integral part of your workforce that you’ll be happy to have invested in.

Find out more about Astutis and our vision.
 

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