My good friend Maxine Welford has recently been debating the whyfores and wherefores of apprentices via her LinkedIn group. I’ve been following the discussion with interest, especially because Maxine has noted some key points about the scheme which many employers are unaware of.
Maxine’s LinkedIn post reads:
“I'm at the stage now where I personally really like these schemes as they are a great chance to invest time with someone to understand your business and learn in a practical environment with a good framework.
Whenever I talk with other employers there seem to be a few surprises:
* You can have an apprentice on a part time basis from as little as 16 hours a week. * The apprentice rate changed in October to £2.50 from the National Minimum Wage for the first year. You don't have to pay this low and can top up with bonuses if you wish but there's no obligation. * People do want these roles and do apply for them, so no shortage of applications. * They can start at any time in the year.. not just around school/college intake times.
Are you surprised by those points? It may be surprising to learn that having an apprentice could be a major benefit to your business. However, employers can often only think in terms of the benefits to them and their business so seeing it from the other side can provide important insights. One of the responses to the LinkedIn discussion is from someone who has experience from the apprentice side of the deal.
“I used to work as an apprentice as a programmer, It lasted about 6 months as it had to end early due to the company closing. However, I learnt a lot from my time there, gained a qualification which would usually take 2-3 years and also ended up with a job offer from my boss's friend! So in a way, an apprenticeship ended up leading me to a great job. I learnt that having an apprentice isn't something you can just have running in the background, if someone is thinking about taking on a apprentice it requires time and commitment. The experience an employer can give to an apprentice can do wonders for the apprentice whether or not there is a full time job at the end of it or not.”
An employer taking on an apprentice has some clear choices. Teach them, show them, let them get “hands on” or waste the opportunity. Let the apprentice make the most of the opportunity or let them make the tea. It’s your choice.
Note:
Taking on board the excellent point made in one of the comments, the title and reference to an apprentice making the tea is intended to be tongue in cheek and in no way suggests that apprentices should be employed for that purpose. We all need to challenge outmoded views that apprentices have nothing useful to bring to a business.
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written by Caroline McKevitt, May 26, 2011
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written by Philip, May 26, 2011
A placement gives a someone in 3rd level education the chance to apply some of what they have learnt at college or university in the workplace. This experience is valuable to the student as it will give them a good introduction to the workplace. Employers can pay them (and should pay them!) though I'm sure there are hard and fast rules about this. Placements can last for varying periods and some courses require them to be taken almost as a gap year as part of the course.
Employers benefit from having bright and enthusiastic young people spending time in their organisation. As well as earning a wage the student will learn a lot if the employer is well set up to support them.
It would be nice to a post about the HR implications of placements. People may find it valuable
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written by Maxxy, May 26, 2011
As you know this continues to be a bit of a journey for me with experiences of all the various parties that employers have to deal with... colleges, private training organisations, train2gain (no more), connexions, job centre, national skills funding agency, the apprentice organisation, business link etc. There are so many people and organisation that an employer can turn to that if you are not careful you can meet yourself coming back! Unfortunately this means there is a lot of conflicting advice and information out there and it's quite difficult for an employer to wade through this to get apprenticeships off the ground never mind all the HR gubbins that goes with it.
...And then there is the small print!
I'd encourage anyone taking on apprentices to properly look through agreements and contracts with private training organisations as I have found that terms and conditions can vary. Some want up front registration fees (even though the actual courses are fully funded) so there is still an initial cost to the employer. Others want a financial liability clause for if their funding is clawed back if the apprentice with draws from their training but stays in employment with the employer so the only way to avoid these penalties of around £1000 per person is to sack them! (not a good option really is it?)
I'm sure there are lots of employers out there like me who want to offer great learning environments and build apprentices into their businesses but are fighting a losing battle with all the middle-men.
Come on chaps and chap-esses, get your act together, as there are genuine employers out there looking for apprentices that cannot jump through all your unnecessary hoops! (oops, caught me on an off day
) Max
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written by Caroline McKevitt, May 26, 2011
I have every sympathy with your plight! It is well known in education circles that it is very confusing for employers and we are hoping that the latest injection of govt cash will go some way to sorting it all out. We facilitated a very useful event this week at which all the points you raised were discussed - it is very disjointed and cumbersome even for those working on the education side of it too! We are working closely with the National Apprenticeship service, government depts,Lifelong Learning networks, Sector Skills councils, colleges, universities, funding bodies, professional bodies and private providers to try and get a cohesive model that works for all but that is a massive task. Would you have any objection to me sharing your comments to illustrate the employer perspective on all this? I can anonymise if necessary! But bear with us, please. I'm not promising a perfect solution but any improvement would be good!
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written by Maxxy, May 26, 2011
I have no objection at all. I did email through the BIS.gov.uk website earlier in the week and have been careful not to name or identify any individual training organisations I am dealing with as don't feel it's fair when everyone is caught up on the same hamster wheel
I just wonder sometimes if from the great vision up on high anyone through the chain has any commercial outlook or sense of reality at all on what this means at the other end to small employers and ultimately learners/employees and public funds.
I should add though that the national apprentice helpline for employers has been superb for advice and help.
Regards
Max
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