5 reasons why you should hire an apprentice

Written by Ellie Taylor on .

We are pleased to announce the launch of Easy Apprenticeships, our new apprenticeship gateway and recruitment solution for businesses all across the UK! This week’s blog post is a re-share of an article first published on the Easy Apprenticeships website.

If you’re reading this, you’re probably deciding whether you should hire an apprentice for your business. Apprenticeships are hugely beneficial for people of all ages, and are a great way to upskill your current workforce or help someone else begin their career. However, hiring an apprentice also has a great number of benefits to employers as well. If you are unsure whether hiring an apprentice is right for your business, here are our top 5 reasons why you should consider doing so.

1. Improves productivity

According to the National Apprenticeship Service, 79% of employers agreed that apprentices help improve productivity, and 74% said that apprentices improved their products or service quality. Apprentices develop important soft skills such as communication and commercial awareness as part of their ‘on the job’ learning, which results in fully rounded and well trained employees.

An apprentice’s motivation to learn new skills means they have a great work ethic, which can easily spread throughout the rest of your team, which helps increase productivity and enthusiasm across your business. 

2. Provides high quality training

With over 250 apprenticeship training and end point assessment providers to choose from, there is a wide variety of options available to ensure that both you as an employer and your apprentice are getting the most out of an apprenticeship.

Apprentices can build their skills by achieving different qualification levels; for example, a level 2 national vocational qualification (NVQ) is equivalent to an A* to C grade GCSE, and a level 7 NVQ is equivalent to a master’s degree. This means that no matter your apprentice’s previous experience, you can find a programme best suited to both your business’ needs and theirs. 

3. Cost-effective and affordable

Depending on the size of your company, you may be eligible for the government to pay some, or even all, of the training costs of your apprentice. This depends on the age of your apprentice, and whether they have been in the apprenticeship for over a year; you can find out more about apprenticeship wages here.

Research from the National Apprenticeship Scheme has shown that for every completed apprenticeship, business productivity increases by around £11,000 on average, which means that hiring an apprentice is a great way to hire new employees while being budget-friendly. 

4. Improves your company image

By providing employment opportunities within your local community, you appear socially responsible which can improve consumer trust. Although apprenticeships can be completed by people of any age, they are a particularly popular choice for young people who want an alternative to university or higher education. This demographic has been hit hard by the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic, with the unemployment rate of 16 to 24 year olds being around 12.2% since this summer.

Creating opportunities for young people to get into work and develop their employability skills is a great way to build your company’s reputation. Ixion Holdings reports that 25% of consumers are willing to pay more for products from a business that employs apprentices, and 67% of employers say that employing apprentices helped improve their image.

5. Boosts staff loyalty 

Training up your existing staff with an apprenticeship shows a commitment to their professional development, which can help improve morale and reduce turnover. A survey by LinkedIn found that 94% of employees would stay at a company longer if it invested in their learning and development. By providing your employees with apprenticeship opportunities, you will help create a culture of learning and growth, which results in a happier workforce.

Find your apprentice with Easy Apprenticeships

At Easy Apprenticeships, we’ll help you with every step of the apprenticeship process, from finding the right apprenticeship provider to securing funding. Call us on 0203 982 7600 to speak with a member of our team today, or visit our website to find out more!