The Advantages to Employing an Apprentice – Our Story

According to the Office for National Statistics the number of 16–24-year-olds not in education, employment or training (Neets) has risen above 1 million for the first time since 2011.

A report by the Institute for Fiscal Studies shows that the employment rate for young people has dropped in all regions across the UK, apart from Northern Ireland, since 2022.

A major independent review into the reasons behind this trend was released by the former Health Secretary, Alan Milburn, in May this year which described the situation as creating a “lost generation”. Factors such as the current jobs market, spending on education and the Covid pandemic were some of the reasons highlighted by the report. Also, the number of entry level jobs has fallen by about 1.6 million over the past 20 years, with vacancies in hospitality alone halving in the last 4 years.

Encouraging companies to employ apprentices is a way to combat this rise in youth unemployment and Shepherd Partnership has a wealth of experience in this field.

Meet Lily and Jacob, our current apprentices, both of whom have kindly shared their experiences with us.

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Lily became an apprentice after completing her GCSEs whereas Jacob chose to do A-levels before following the apprenticeship route. Neither Jacob nor Lily felt that they were missing out on the university experience but rather felt that an apprenticeship had given them a head start on those following the traditional university route.

They both attend college one day a week, giving them the perfect balance between work and learning and allowing them to meet with other students for that social experience. Both said that doing an apprenticeship has boosted their confidence and enabled them to gain valuable workplace experience. It has helped to make them well rounded, experienced employees and valuable assets to Shepherd Partnership.

In short, they chose the apprenticeship route to gain workplace experience and work towards qualifications whilst still receiving a salary and avoiding costly student debt. It’s a relationship that is mutually beneficial to both employer and employee and some of the advantages to employers are laid out below.

Advantages to employing an apprentice

• You can tailor the training to suit your business needs. This way you can ensure that your apprentice learns the specific technical and soft skills you require, shaping them to suit your requirements from the outset.

• Apprentices become aware of the company culture and processes making them more likely to stay once their apprenticeship is completed. Investing in training inspires loyalty and leads to higher motivation.

• Ongoing training of apprentices means that you can fill any skill gaps in your workforce. It ensures a continual supply of trained workers and helps to grow talent and develop a skilled workforce. It also reduces the need for external recruitment.

• Apprentices can provide a cost-effective way of training staff. Many apprenticeship programmes are supported by government funding. The training contribution varies depending on the size of your business and the age of the apprentice. A tool to help you calculate what funding might be available can be found here:

  Understanding apprenticeship benefits and funding

• Apprentices traditionally start on a lower wage whilst gaining experience. This can reduce initial training costs.

• Young apprentices can bring a new perspective to the workplace. They are more comfortable with advancements in technology and can have a greater understanding of how to apply that knowledge to improve efficiency and communication within the work environment.

Disadvantages to employing an apprentice

There are of course some disadvantages, and these must be weighed up by individual companies to assess what works best for them.

• Training an apprentice is a long-term investment. Senior team members will need to be prepared to spend time training, supervising and supporting their apprentices and this can place additional demands on their schedules.

• There is no guarantee that the apprentice will stay after their training is complete. But hopefully the risk of that person leaving is far outweighed by the benefits of developing a skilled workforce for the future.

Here at Shepherd Partnership, we have found that employing apprentices has created a rewarding environment beneficial to everyone. If you would like any further information on employing apprentices, please come and talk to us directly or study the link below. We are happy to share our experiences with you.

Find training and employment schemes for your business - Apprenticeships