Apprenticeships – Mutual Benefits
01 April 2009
What are apprenticeships, and why is it worth considering taking on an apprentice?
The Government under the guise of the Learning Skills Council is currently actively pushing Apprenticeships, with Sir Alan Sugar having a prominent presence during commercial breaks, as well as this year’s ‘The Apprentice’ TV programme. So what are apprenticeships, and why is it worth considering taking on an apprentice?
There are over 130,000 employers currently offering apprenticeships and so it is not an uncommon thing. Apprenticeships can help businesses across all sectors by offering a route to harness fresh new talent, and can help ensure that your workforce has the practical skills and qualifications that your organisation needs now and in the future.
The mixture of on and off the job learning ensures that they learn the skills that work best for your business; there is also a variety of different types of apprenticeships that are available, each with different types of vocational learning.
Some of the more common ones include:
There are even apprenticeships available for Computer Games Testing.
So what does it cost?
There are different levels of Apprenticeships, and the cost to the organisation can be from as little as £80.00 per week, with the training funded by the Government (some local providers may charge administration fees). It is also worth noting that if the Apprentice is over 19 years of age that the National Minimum Wage will apply.
There are also funding options under the Programme Led Apprenticeship where the Apprentice is funded by the Government, and the Apprentice will receive an Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA).
If you are interested in finding out more about apprentices then you can visit the Apprenticeships website; contact a local provider directly, or ask HR Solutions to assist you with this.