Why Employ an Apprentice in Your Business?

Posted by The Business Village @BarnsleyBIC on 4th December 2020 -

The ONS stated in their October 2020 report that there were 673,000 fewer payrolled employees in the UK in August 2020 compared with March 2020.

If we didn’t already know, this clearly shows that Covid-19 has affected businesses and resulted in workforce cuts. However, with the Government announcing new incentives for hiring apprentices, there could be an opportunity to recruit an additional pair of hands at an affordable cost to the business.

Government funding incentive for employees hiring apprentices

The UK Government launched a new funding initiative in August to encourage and support employers to employ new apprentices. Some of the key points for the scheme, which is open until 31^st January 2021, are as follows:

• An award of £2,000 for every new apprentice hired aged 16-24, and £1,500 for each new apprentice 25 and over. This is in addition to the existing £1,000 payment which employers receive for 16-18 year old apprentices.
• Apprenticeships are open to any age group.
• The individual must be a new apprentice hire.
• The individual cannot have been employed by the business within 6 months prior to the contract start date.
• The contracted start date must be between 1/8/20 and 31/1/21.
• Employers must be registered to the Apprenticeship Service system (where they make claims) and have reserved funding before the apprentice is enrolled onto a course.

How do you recruit an apprentice?

Apprenticeships must last for at least a year but can last up to 5 years depending on the level which the apprentice is studying.

The UK government website has the following steps for recruiting an apprentice:

• Find an apprenticeship for your business.
• Find an organisation which offers training for the apprenticeship you’ve chosen (ITEC and Barnsley College are good first contacts in our area) with ITEC actually being located on site.
• Check what funding is available.
• Advertise your apprenticeship (either directly or through the training provider)
• Make an apprenticeship agreement.

How much do you have to pay an apprentice?

Apprentices must be paid at least the National Minimum Wage, which differs depending on the individual’s age and what year of their apprenticeship they’ve completed.

Barnsley College has a really helpful calculator on their website here.

What are the benefits to your business?

An apprentice combines practical experience on the job with training off the job, meaning that you will be developing an employee with the most up to date skills needed for their role.

Many employers of apprentices report a more motivated and satisfied workforce, with individuals developing long-term loyalty to the business. Additionally, you can tackle specific skills shortages, save on training and recruitment costs and develop your employees to meet specific business needs.

It’s a cost-effective way to expand your workforce and, importantly, recruiting an apprentice will also benefit the local community.

What job can I recruit an apprentice for?

Gone are the days when an apprentice was only for practical hands-on jobs. There are now literally hundreds of job opportunities for apprentices, ranging from construction right through to digital marketing and tourism.

Check Barnsley College’s list of job roles here.

Summary

With the government paying businesses to take on apprentices, there’s never been a better time to look into the scheme further.

For further information or an informal chat about your requirements why not get in touch with Sarah Hattersley, Business Development Officer at Barnsley College on:

• M: 07714 393392
• E:  [email protected]
• W:  http://www.barnsley.ac.uk

To chat with the employer team at Barnsley College, telephone 01226 216 166 or email [email protected]

Experienced apprenticeship team on site at The Business Village…

Tenant business Independent Training and Education Consultants (ITEC) provide an extensive range of training and educational services and solutions to meet client’s needs. Their experienced staff provide bespoke and practical solutions to any training, development, recruitment or audit requirements and can give advice and guidance for workforce development solutions. ​​

ITEC’s Directors have over 35 years’ experience of managing training and development solutions with both government and commercial funding streams, ITEC has been providing those solutions for over 4 years. Their ethos is to train and up-skill the workforce, increase apprenticeship achievement and support employees to access training to target skills gaps. They offer a curriculum which enables learners to build on the experience of life and work that they bring with them, providing opportunities to acquire the new knowledge, skills and behaviours that are so important if people are to meet the demands made upon them in the fast paced world of work.

ITEC deliver apprenticeships in a range of occupational sectors and support their Apprentices with on the job, off the job and pastoral guidance and mentoring to achieve their qualifications.

Visit their website to find out more or pick up the phone and have a chat with Shirley Kay, their Employer Engagement Manager on 07528 405140 or via email

You may also be interested in the government’s Kickstart jobs creation scheme which provides funding to employers to create job placements for 16-24 year olds on Universal Credit. The funding subsidises the wages (National Minimum Wage or National Living Wage depending on the individual’s age) for a total of 6 months.