Building Back Better with Apprenticeships

As we mark the 14^th annual #NationalApprenticeshipWeek (NAW) it’s important to acknowledge the positive influence apprenticeships have on businesses, communities and national economies.  Apprenticeships are experiencing somewhat of a renaissance as employers (and Government) increasingly realise the benefits of developing skills and knowledge to future proof operations as well as crafting rewarding careers.

Whilst #NAW2021 has a different look and feel this year due to Covid-19, the online arena has come into its own and the show goes on via social media and virtual events. Arguably, the pandemic has heightened the importance of NAW, poignantly reflected by this year’s theme of #BuildTheFuture, as apprenticeships are a tangible and effective vehicle to train, develop and, most importantly, retain a workforce for a robust future.

Here at RE and Safehands Recruitment, we are extremely proud to support NAW 2021.  We encourage training and development with our dedicated Training Manager, writing a lot of our content in-house to promote relevance. We know that good training and development means:

• Improved employee performance
• Increased engagement
• Improves employee retention and growth
• Consistent learning and adherence to processes
• Employee skills tracking
• Happier customers

As a Levy payer, the Apprenticeship Scheme is something we can utilise, putting employees through courses that match their roles and give them qualifications. And these courses are not just for school leavers or career starters; we have had people successfully complete CIMA, Management Diplomas, Business Administration and Compliance courses..

Natalie Chard, one of our Branch Managers at Safehands Recruitment said, “I feel I have learned a lot from it and in turn it has made me a better leader to my team, allowing me to grow in my role. I felt very supported by the assessor who took me through the course as well as the end point assessor. Another plus point was the outsourced mentor that I had 1-2-1 calls with each month – she was particularly good at listening to any issues I was facing and how best to support my team. If it was not for this support, I doubt I would have passed the course with a distinction!”

Lucy Dowie, RE Recruitments Onboarding & Training Manager, explains: “As part of our goal to achieve a Gold Standard of Learning & Development we actively encourage employees to undertake relevant apprenticeship programmes. These span all business areas and include courses in recruitment consultancy, finance, business administration, compliance and management development. We are careful to select training providers who offer not only great content but also flexibility in the delivery of the programmes as we appreciate how challenging it can be for learners to juggle learning alongside the demands of their role. We ensure employees build time into their weekly schedule to complete the study required for apprenticeships – these programmes are a significant commitment by the employee and the employer.”

One of our key messages is that in these uncertain and unprecedented times, organisations should plan how they can use apprenticeships now, not only to provide work opportunities for the younger generation but also to develop their existing workforce so we can build back better.

Upskilling existing personnel via apprenticeship schemes is an inspired move which can dramatically improve employee performance and retention, not to mention advancing relevant skill requirements in an organisation.

So, let’s all build a brighter future together through apprenticeships; if we are going to successfully navigate through this year, we will need all our people to realise their performance potential.

To learn more about our apprenticeship opportunities, please contact Lucy Dowie, Onboarding & Training Manager. LucyD@rerecruitment.com.