Why employ an apprentice?

There are numerous advantages to taking on an apprentice. Research has shown that apprentices boost productivity in your workplace with each apprentice on average bringing a gain of £10k per year for their employer.

Apprenticeships also allow you to train apprentices with the correct skills for your business and industry, they learn to a high standard and you can mould the position to fit your business. This can help you to invest in the future of your business, knowing you have the right people with the right skills for the job which may otherwise be difficult to find.

Proving a high quality apprenticeship is likely to improve staff retention because your apprentice will appreciate the quality of training and feel loyal to you for investing in them and be more engaged with your business.

Apprenticeships are particularly cost effective for businesses because not only do apprentices contribute to your business whilst they are learning, there’s also financial support and funding available from the government to encourage businesses to hire an apprentice.

How do I find an apprentice?

You can find an apprentice using the government recruit an apprentice service.

You can also find one through your training provider (more on that below) or hold open days, arrange visits to colleges and universities or other careers events.

What is the legal process and what are my responsibilities?

An apprentice must:

• be over 16
• not already be in full time education
• live in England

Apprentices must work towards an approved apprenticeship standard or apprenticeship framework and most employers will need to partner with a third party training provider. You can find a list here.

If you want to access government funding to cover the cost of the apprenticeship, you’ll need to set up an apprenticeship service account here.

Apprenticeship Agreements

Once you’ve found your apprentice, you need to put Apprenticeship Agreement with them in place which includes:

– their basic terms of employment

– sets out their working time and time spent training

– how they will receive support and supervision

– the duration of the apprenticeship

As with any employment contract, it’s worth investing time and money having a professional draft or review your Apprenticeship Agreement – if you issue your apprentice a Traditional Contract of Apprenticeship it may give them enhanced rights making it difficult for you to dismiss them – even for misconduct – without consequences.