Apprenticeships
Building a strong workforce is essential for any organisation and this equally applies to London’s Voluntary and Community Sector employers. Apprenticeships are a key funding initiative supported by the new coalition Government and Apprenticeship schemes are set to replace Train to Gain.
London has been awarded an additional £14M of training funds to support apprentices for 2010/11 and we are aiming to generate and present significant demand from London's Voluntary and Community Sector to lobby for an increased amount of these funds to go to the sector.
We are therefore distributing this questionnaire and supporting information to as many Voluntary and Community Sector organisations in London to ask whether they wish to recruit an apprentice into their organisation during 2010/11 and if so what formal accredited training they would want to be able to offer them.
Apprenticeship facts
What are Apprenticeships?
They are work-based training programmes designed around the needs of employers, which lead to national recognised qualifications.
Who are they for?
You can use Apprenticeships to train both new and existing employees. Funding is available to train apprentices.
Where do they take place?
This is up to you. Most of the training is ‘on the job’ at your premises. The rest can be provided by a local specialist learning provider, or in some cases you could deliver everything yourself.
Facts in numbers
- 80% of those employers who employ apprentices agree they make their workplace more productive.
- 81% of consumers favour using a company which takes on apprentices.
- The minimum wage for apprentices is £95 per week. Many employers prefer to pay more however, and research shows that the average salary is approx £170 per week. Apprentice wages are exempt from the national minimum wage
- Employers who take on a 16-18 year old apprentice only pay their salary. The Government will fund their training. For 19+ apprentices the Government will subsidise up to 50% of their training costs.
- Over 100,000 employers offer Apprenticeship places in over 190 job roles across a wide range of sectors.
- 88% of employers who employ apprentices believe that Apprenticeships lead to a more motivated and satisfied workforce.
- 83% of employers who employ apprentices rely on their Apprenticeships programme to provide the skilled workers that they need for the future.
- One in five employers are hiring more apprentices to help them through the tough economic climate.
Useful Links
The following links contain useful information and more case studies about Apprenticeships:
National Apprenticeship Service website
London Councils
Fair Train
A full list of all the apprenticeship frameworks funded by the Government
Employer Case Studies
Beat bullying
"As a result of their training, our apprentices tend to be highly motivated and eager to learn and develop further. " Emma-Jane Cross CEO
Why do you employ apprentices? We are a children’s charity this is about our mission.
How do apprentices benefit your organisation? As a result of their training, Beat bullying apprentices tend to be highly motivated and eager to learn and develop further. The investment and the responsibility given to them makes them feel valued and they end up highly skilled therefore easier to retain and contribute in the long term.”
Beat bullying’s young apprentices, some of whom others may label as disengaged, non academic or disadvantaged are excelling, they have money in their pocket, a plan for the future and route to some respect and hope. The Beat bullying apprenticeship scheme is about investing in fairness, equality and the long-term future of staff.
What's the best advice you can pass on? Many of the Beat bullying apprentices are potential managers of the future, this is succession planning across the entire charity, that’s how good they are.
How many apprentices do you employ and in what roles? Beat bullying aims to have an apprentice working out of every department.
Type of organisation Charity
Outline of your services Beat bullying works with children and young people across the UK to provide them with all important opportunities to make positive and lasting changes to their lives and outlook. In particular, we work intensively with those so deeply affected by bullying that they can barely face going to school that next morning. We aim to make deep changes in attitude of those young people that bully, working with them to take responsibility and a sense of ownership over their actions, building foundations for change and improvement in their life chances and opportunities. For us, it's all about shaping attitudes and changing behaviours. We do this through a range of programmes which have peer mentoring and peer activism at their heart.
Catch22
"Apprentices are trained to our ways and standards, without bringing any bad habits from previous jobs." Jacqui Lawrence, Head of Catch22 South East TrainingCatch22
Why do you employ apprentices? We chose to take on apprentices because we understand the need to train young people not only for our own benefit as our internal workforce ages, but also for the benefit of the wider community as apprentices have left here and taken their skills into other organisations, including public, private and third sector. The skills shortage of the UK continues to be an issue so developing young people is vital.
How do apprentices benefit your organisation? As a youth charity, hearing what young people have to contribute is very important and having them work for us means their opinions are embedded in every aspect of our work.
What’s the best advice you can pass on? Apprentices are keen and enthusiastic members of the team, they are very productive and on average have less mistakes than other staff as they are trained to our ways and standards, without bringing any bad habits from previous jobs. They bring a breath of fresh air which is essential if you want to stay in touch with the times and can be great for staff morale. It gives existing staff a chance to share their knowledge, watch a young person grow and develop, and also to analyse their current practises as they break them down to teach others.
Number of apprentices you employ in what roles? Eight in Business Administration
Outline of services Catch22 provides UK-wide projects and support services in five areas where our work can make a real and lasting difference in young people’s lives, for their families and for the whole community by finding them education and training opportunities that are right for them learn, giving them a chance to earn a living by, have a safe place to live and alternatives that keep them away from crime and enable them to give back to the community. These five areas rarely stand alone, each one can affect the other. Catch22 deals with them all.
Employee Case Studies
Catch22
Aimee – Apprentice on Business administration programme at Catch22
"The most rewarding feature of working for a charity is that it is intrinsically satisfying and fulfilling."
What's your job? I'm on the reception desk so I'm the first person that everyone sees. I have lot of responsibilities and I'm learning a great deal of new skills through my apprenticeship.
Why did you want to do an apprenticeship in a charity? You're not working towards being the best business or making the most money but towards something that everyone is going to benefit from. Although in a modern climate all charities must adopt commercial business principles, the most rewarding feature of working for a charity is that it is intrinsically satisfying and fulfilling.
What do you enjoy most? There are not many job opportunities in my local area for young people. I've been to college but need this experience to help get me onto the career ladder, to improve my CV and ultimately to improve my chances of securing employment in the future.
What's the best advice to someone thinking of doing an apprenticeship in a charity? It's good because you know you're part of a business whose aims are to help young people improve their lives. They understand where young people are coming from so can offer advice and support through my training that I probably wouldn't get from another type of employer.
London Learning Consortium
Luisa - Apprentice on Business administration programme at London Learning Consortium
"An apprenticeship in a social enterprise is a good way to learn new things and work for a good organisation at the same time."
What’s your job? I am an Administrator for the Employer Response Team so I will help them with anything they need including managing diaries, taking messages, returning phone calls. I do a lot of the administration of the Future Jobs Fund paperwork, including creating referrals spreadsheets, collecting CVs, choosing the suitable candidates with the rest of the employer response team and then sending them out to employers, checking sign-up paperwork is correct then putting it on to sign-up list and logging employers onto database. I am becoming the main contact for Future Jobs Fund employers.
Why did you want to do an apprenticeship in a social enterprise? To further my qualifications.
What do you enjoy most about being an apprentice in a social enterprise? Learning the job role while working
What’s the best advice you can pass to someone thinking of an apprenticeship in a social enterprise? I would say to definitely do an apprenticeship as it’s a good way to learn new things and work for a good organisation at the same time.
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