Why an apprenticeship?
The ‘Why?’ is the main question people battle with when deciding if they should embark on an apprenticeship, and rightly so. What impact does an apprenticeship have? Read on for some answers…
The UK Needs It
A recent research briefing published by the House of Commons Library, giving the latest available statistics and comparisons of UK productivity with other G7 countries, revealed that in 2021 the UK only managed mid-table:
Productivity: Key Economic Indicators – House of Commons Library (parliament.uk)
Work-based learning in the form of apprenticeships helps to build the highly skilled, productive workforce that will move the UK up this ladder. The Chartered Management Institute (CMI) agrees that apprenticeships are key to tackling this productivity gap. Their analysis found that apprentices qualified in 2019 are projected to add £7bn to the economy by the end of 2029 – Apprentices add £7 billion to economy within a decade – CMI (managers.org.uk).
Apprentices Say So – TAA Impact Survey 2023
Who better to help answer the ‘Why?’ question than those who have completed an apprenticeship over the last few years (the reason for the ‘last few years’ bit will become clear later) …
In December 2022, to understand the impact of their training programmes, The Apprentice Academy reached out to alumni learners who had completed an apprenticeship with them between 2017 and 2022.
The apprenticeships completed included Accountancy (with AAT qualifications), Procurement (with CIPS qualifications), Business Administration, Property Management (with Propertymark and IRPM qualifications), Team Leader and Operational Management.
A total of 126 people answered the survey questions. They had completed their apprenticeships in the following periods:
- 2017 – 2018: 11%
- 2019 – 2020: 28%
- 2021 – 2022: 61%
Here are five headline results from the impact survey:
1. Financial rewards
Finances are often at the forefront of people’s minds. The survey revealed some very welcome news in this department:
81% of respondents had received a salary increase; for 15% of alumni, this increase was £10,000-plus.
2. Career capability
Thoughts then naturally turn to career. Good news here too:
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- 91% had taken on additional job responsibilities.
- 65% had received a job promotion.
- 52% had started to manage staff or increased the number of people reporting to them.
- 90% said that their apprenticeship had contributed to their career success.
3. The Impact on Confidence and Competence
94% of the TAA survey’s respondents reported that they are more confident and competent as a result of their apprenticeship.
4. Job Security
97% had been employed full time since completing their apprenticeship.
5. Continuous learning
25% had progressed to gain further qualifications or started another apprenticeship.
These and other results from the survey overwhelmingly indicate that their apprenticeship programmes had had a positive impact in the apprentices’ professional working lives. So much so that a whopping 96% would recommend apprenticeships to others.
To receive a copy of the report, please email The Academy at: contactus@theapprenticeacademy.co.uk
But don’t you have to be a school or college leaver to do an apprenticeship?
As stated on the website of the Greater Manchester Combined Authority, this is a common misconception: “Apprenticeships are available at any age and are a great way to restart your career, change you career or progress in your current career.”
This brings us back to the reason for the survey only covering apprentices from the last few years… Apprenticeships went through a radical transformation in 2017, shifting from a young person regime to a whole UK workforce upskilling ideology. They became a mainstream way for all employees to upskill and fill gaps in their knowledge and skill with the aim of increasing their career capability.
There are now 660 new apprenticeship programmes available to employees, ranging from level 2 to level 7, with many of them incorporating valuable qualifications, such as diplomas. In fact, latest figures from the ‘Apprenticeships and traineeships’ page on GOV.UK show that higher apprenticeships – Levels 4 to 7 – continued to grow in 2022/23, making up over a third of starts.
Last year 340,190 employees started apprenticeships, which is a rise of 8.6% on the previous year, with 22% of these people representing 16–18-year-olds. This shows that 78% are coming from the older age groups. The great news is that employers are certainly embracing apprenticeships to attract new talent and upskill their existing workforce.
TAA’s numbers agree that it is not just younger people who are signing up. In 2022, although 32% of The Apprentice Academy’s enrolments were in the 16-19 age group and 37% were between 20 and 29, 11% were over 40 years old.
The oldest learners that The Apprentice Academy signed up last year were aged 54, and they commenced apprenticeships in Data Analysis, Management and Accountancy.
Alison Bagnall, Managing Director of The Apprentice Academy started a level 7 Senior Leadership Apprenticeship aged 49, she said ‘Having been in education for many years and a true advocate of learning, I was overwhelmed with the amount of new learning I gained from doing this apprenticeship, and how it has helped me develop my leadership skills and knowledge.’ She said proudly:
“You don’t know what you don’t know, until you are presented with new learning!”