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Recruiting an apprentice: A brief guide

Written by Admin | Jan 13, 2025 12:00:00 AM

Why take on an apprentice?  The many and varied benefits of taking on an apprentice are well documented.  Not just in the UK but worldwide, the apprentice has been part of the world of work since the year dot, and for very good reasons. Here are just a few of them: 

  • Apprenticeships can be a cost-effective way of bringing new talent into a business. For individuals aged 16 to 18, the apprentice minimum wage (£6.40) is lower than the national minimum wage (£8.60-£11.44, varying by age), which mitigates the expenses and uncertainties associated with hiring new talent. This rate also applies to apprentices aged 19 or older in their first year, with the national minimum wage coming into effect after the initial 12 months*. Apprenticeships offer businesses the flexibility to determine the pay for their apprentices, with potential earnings of up to £18,000 depending on experience. 
  • You're training people to a high standard. With a competent tutor and a management platform such as OneFile, an apprenticeship will ensure your new recruit gets the best possible start to their new career with you. You can even assign your apprentice a mentor within the organisation for extra support. 
  • Protecting against skills shortages and helping to 'future proof' your business. Apprenticeships can be a brilliant way to make sure you have a talent pipeline into your company. Alongside the training, you can shape your new hire to become a fully invested employee. 
  • Offering an apprentice placement is good for corporate social responsibility. There's no doubt about it, businesses can be a force for good by investing in people. Apprenticeships enable businesses to 'give back' to their communities, providing opportunities for learners young and old to start a career in their industry. 
  • Apprentices value the chance to 'earn while they learn' and gain real life, hands-on work experience. Especially in sectors where there is a lot of competition for jobs, apprenticeships give a broad cross-section of people of all ages, the chance to kick-start a career. For various reasons, including financial, university and other routes into work are simply out of reach for many people. 
  • Many people much prefer learning in the workplace, with the support of their training provider, than studying full-time at college or university. For many, the traditional classroom setting, and burden of student debt are not ideal. Instead, being more hands-on while learning on the job is the preferred choice for many.  

So, yes, apprenticeships can be a win-win for employer and learner, with achievable affordable routes into employment. 

Where to start 

Apprenticeships are available to businesses and organisations of all shapes and sizes and in numerous sectors, so there really is something for everyone.   It's just a question of finding the right apprenticeship training programme, the right apprentice and the right training provider.  Also essential to an apprenticeship's success is an integrated learning system (ILS), which is comfortably the most efficient and effective way that learner, training provider and employer can work together to completion. Why so? An ILS just takes the legwork out of planning, tracking and assessing apprentice training, saving you heaps of time and expense, and avoiding duplication and errors.   First steps for employers  There are some initial steps to take on your apprenticeship journey before you leap into the market and advertise the opportunity:  - Search for an apprenticeship that best serves the needs of your business and the learner. It really is worth spending time to find a programme that aligns with your objectives as a business. Here is the section of the Government website to look through.  - Explore what training funding is available. Will your business have to pay the Apprenticeship Levy? Take a look at this page for answers to your funding queries.  - Investigate your legal obligations and responsibilities to learners. Are you set up to recruit an apprentice? You are responsible for giving your apprentice their contract of employment, paying your apprentice's wage and signing an apprenticeship agreement.  - Find a training provider to deliver the apprenticeship. This might be an FE college or other accredited training provider which can help you hire and train an apprentice. A good working relationship between employer and training provider is vital for successful apprenticeships. This is where you find the right course, which takes you to a searchable database of providers.  - Set up an apprenticeship service account. All accredited apprenticeships in England must be managed through the apprenticeship service.  HM Government's Apprenticeships website has useful advice on how to create your online account.   - Consider what impact taking on an apprentice will have on the rest of your team. Can you use an apprenticeship to create mentoring opportunities for your staff, developing their training and coaching skills? At the very least, your team will need to be supportive and create a welcoming work environment for your new hire.  Next steps  Now you've invested the time in setting your business up for an apprenticeship, you can set about finding the right apprentice:   - Advertise the apprenticeship opportunity via social media, student job boards and employment websites young people regularly visit. The uk.gov site's Find an Apprenticeship pages are a pretty good place to start.  - Be proactive. Look at news stories featuring successful apprentices and coverage of apprenticeship awards. Which training providers delivered the programmes and what learning systems did they use?  - Build strong and lasting relationships with schools and colleges by attending open days, careers events and jobs fairs.  Many full-time FE college students are happy to switch to an apprenticeship as it allows them to earn and learn, gaining valuable work experience and training with tutors they already know.   - Take an active role in employment initiatives run by your local FE colleges. Some colleges have 'employment academies' in certain subject areas, with local employers represented on their training and skills boards.  Such arrangements can make it easier to match apprentice and employer.   So, there we have it. Hiring an apprentice can be an excellent initiative for everyone involved, and there is plenty of advice out there to help you on your way. Start exploring recruitment opportunities and building enduring industry, education and training links. And when you're ready, talk to our team about our apprenticeship management system, which will be your easy-to-use platform for keeping your programme on track.     * At time of writing, the minimum wage for an apprentice in their first year was £6.40 in January 2025, with the age-related pay scale rising to £7.55-£12.21.  Click below to download our guide on what to expect when you hire an apprentice.

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