Sue Husband
Director, NAS
Apprenticeships are becoming an increasingly popular option for businesses, helping them develop a motivated, skilled and qualified workforce and bringing about many business benefits – including improved skills levels, service, morale and productivity.
And they enable individuals to ‘get in and go far’ at some of Britain’s biggest and brightest companies, gaining the skills and knowledge they need to succeed, in some cases up to degree level, while working and earning.
Sue Husband, Director of the National Apprenticeship Service, said: “Now is the time for more young people to consider apprenticeships as a route into a successful and rewarding career and for more businesses to get on board and reap the benefits.”
“The country’s top employers are offering the best start to enable young people to get the skills they need for a great job, not only with apprenticeships but with work experience and traineeships.
“Any work experience is good experience. It helps people work out what they want to do and gain transferable skills, like time management, team work and good communication which all employers look for.
“For those who prefer work experience with the option to improve their English and Maths, a traineeship is right for you. They last for up to six months and are tailored to each individual, with support from a trusted training provider. Traineeships have been developed by employers making them a great stepping stone to an apprenticeship or other job.”
Improving quality
Almost nine out of every ten apprenticeship employers hoping to achieve business benefits say apprenticeships deliver – including 89% reporting that it has helped their business improve the quality of their product or service.
Apprenticeships are available in more than 1,500 job roles from nuclear to fashion, law, banking and defence. There are different levels of apprenticeship depending on skills and qualifications: intermediate, advanced, higher and degree apprenticeships.
For those who have their sight set on professional qualifications or a degree, an apprenticeship can fund and support their learning. You can study for a degree while working in legal services, banking and engineering as well as many other job roles.
Reforms to apprenticeships are putting employers in the driving seat when it comes to designing apprenticeships. These reforms are replacing the existing frameworks with short, simple, accessible apprenticeship standards written by employers. The reforms are also giving employers control of apprenticeship funding so they are able to select the training that best meets their skills needs. Employer-led Trailblazers are leading the way in implementing new standards in apprenticeships, collaborating to design apprenticeship standards and assessment approaches to make them world class. More than 1,200 employers are involved so far.
Sue Husband continued: “Employers tell us there is a skills shortage that is hampering their ability to grow or be more productive, a mismatch between what skills they need to compete effectively and what they have at their disposal. Apprenticeships can fill this gap.