We love apprentices here at Baltic. We truly believe in the benefits a business can receive when they recruit an apprentice, we should know, our offices are full of them! We understand that apprenticeships give the young people in our care a fantastic start to their career. We know first-hand, the importance of the skills, qualifications and experience, our apprentices earn as they progress through our 12 month programmes.
Not all people see and understand the benefits of apprenticeships and some people are still under the illusion that all an apprentice is good for, is photocopying and making the cups of tea.
There are many myths and misconceptions surrounding apprenticeships, so we wanted to take this time to dispel these myths, and to give you a better insight into just how fantastic apprenticeships with Baltic Training can be.
“Apprentices need to spend a lot of time in college”
Apprentices with Baltic Training never step foot into a college, unless it is in their free time of course! We do things differently here, and have moved all of our training online. Here’s how it works; instead of 1 day per week in a classroom, our apprentices are released by their employer for 1 week training courses, 5-7 times (depending on the programme) throughout the 12 months. The apprentice will attend our virtual classroom alongside other apprentices up and down the country. Delivered by our expert trainers, this fully immersive, live, classroom experience not only saves you time and money as an employer, but allows the apprentice to fully immerse themselves in their training without interruption, and then return to work to put their new skills to practice. They can attend their training from home, or from the office, as long as they have access to a good internet connection and are not going to be disturbed.
“Apprentices are not given equal rights like other employees”
When you recruit an apprentice, they will become a full time member of your team, and will have the same rights and entitlements as all other members of staff in your employment. You will be required to sign an apprenticeship agreement which is very similar to a contract of employment, and entitles the apprentice to the same rights and terms and conditions as any other employee. These rights include holiday entitlement and pay, as well as disciplinary actions and procedures. The only real difference is the Apprentice Minimum Wage, which is currently £3.50 per hour (From 1stApril 2017). Although we do encourage our employers to pay their apprentices more.
“It is time consuming and difficult to recruit an apprentice”
When it comes to recruiting an apprentice for your business, you can leave it to us! We take this task off your hands, ensuring the process is as easy and as straightforward as possible. We manage every aspect of recruitment from advertising your vacancy, dealing with applications, pre-screening and interview prep to ensure only the best possible candidates are sent to you for interview. Our Talent Scouts will work with you to determine the type of candidate you are looking for, and what skills you require for your business. Only those that meet this criteria will make it to you for interview. To read more about what happens behind the scenes of the recruitment process, click here.
“My business is too small to recruit an apprentice”
As long as you have a support system in place for a junior member of your team, and ongoing work that they can complete, you will be able to recruit an apprentice. In 2014, 1/10 members of the Federation of Small Businesses in the UK recruited an apprentice, and as long as you are able to support them in their role and ensure they will be working full time (a minimum of 30 hours per week), there is nothing stopping you. Recruiting an apprentice may just be the thing you need to help your business grow and thrive!
“An apprentice will cost too much compared to when you recruit an experienced employee”
When it comes to recruiting an apprentice, the costs are less than what you may think, and the return on investment is much, much more. The centre for Economics and Business Research calculated that for every £1 invested in apprenticeships, the economy benefits by upwards of £21. This along with less outgoing costs, including no National Insurance contributions for under 25 year olds and a minimum of £3.50 per hour salary, and fully or partially funded* training depending on your business status, allows you to grow your business in a much more cost effective way. You also will have a dedicated and loyal young employee trained in the way your business operates. Who can put a price on that?!
There are so many fantastic reasons to recruit an apprentice to grow your team, we simply cannot list them all! But from these few examples it is clear to see that some of the main misconceptions and myths surrounding apprenticeships are simply false. For more information on how an apprentice could benefit your business and how you can change the life of young person in your area please either fill in our contact form below or give us a call on 01325731050.
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