Apprenticeships bring numerous benefits to employers, training providers and the learners themselves, but, of course, there's always room for improvement.
In our recent survey, we learnt that mentoring and providing apprentices with more time for off-the-job training would see more apprentices complete their training.
Our study was conducted against a background of too few learners finishing their apprenticeships. In 2022, 48% of apprentices - almost one in two - dropped out of their programmes before their end date.
And, while recognising that sometimes apprentices leave their course early because they've found a job somewhere else, tens of thousands simply do not finish their apprenticeship, our study found. Applying the 48% drop-out rate to the 348,000 apprentices who started their programmes in the 2021/2022 academic year, for example, think tank EDSK estimated that 163,500 would not make it to the end.
We asked employers what, in their opinion, would make it easier for apprentices to complete their apprenticeship without lowering educational standards. Nearly 90 were interviewed - 78% of whom outsource their apprenticeship training to further education colleges or other training providers.
Of the responses to this multiple-choice question, having a mentor who'd experienced the same process was the most popular answer at 42%. Next, 34% of respondents went for more time to complete off-the-job-training, followed by 28% who chose more enjoyable or engaging content and activities.
Some 22% of employers we talked to, opted for more frequent engagement with their tutor, with 18% choosing better pay to cover their costs. A smaller number - 16% and 13% respectively - cited better access to useful resources or better apprenticeship management software.
Onefile also asked employers how confident they were that their learners were receiving enough support from their tutors to complete their apprenticeships. The responses were largely positive with 45% 'confident' and 43% 'very confident.' Exactly half of those we surveyed felt that the amount of support they themselves gave their apprentices could be better.
We also asked employers if they had any difficulties managing their apprenticeship. Of the 76% of people who replied to our multiple-choice question, 32% said finding time for apprentices to complete off-the-job learning in work hours. Around 21% chose maintaining oversight of the apprenticeship, 20% went for too much red tape, while 18% selected protecting the wellbeing of their apprentices.
Most of those who said they found it difficult (84%) still believed that they gave their apprentices enough time during working hours to complete their off-the-job training. Nine out of 10 said their learners were getting enough relevant work experience to be able to finish their course.
Our study concluded that despite their best intentions, some employers weren't always able to give learners sufficient time to finish their off-the-job training. It found that although most businesses and organisations care about their apprentices and want them to do well, business pressures can make it hard for them to comply.
Another strong theme that emerged from our research was the need for apprentices to have mentors with similar backgrounds to their own. The findings showed that learners require support in the workplace and that is often best provided by employees who have been apprentices themselves. It found that as completing off-the-job training and on-the-job tasks successfully is unique to apprenticeships, mentoring has a vital role to play.
Onefile are experts in helping employers manager their apprenticeships, so reach out to us today.