As an employer, a great way to boost your business and increase your workforce is to embrace the plethora of benefits that come with apprenticeships.
Hiring apprentices can not only provide your company with a new generation of workers, but help you give back to the local community as you train people to earn while they learn and help them achieve their dream careers.
Wirral Met College works with over 500 public and private sector organisations to provide opportunities in a range of industry sectors. From business and sports to animal welfare and hospitality, there are plenty of opportunities for employers to sign up and start the journey of training apprentices.
Whether your business has current employees who are wanting to move up the career ladder, or fresh faces new to the world of work, you can help support people follow their chosen path.
Depending on your business, there are two different types of apprenticeships that you can offer: Levy Paying Apprenticeships (if your pay bill is more than £3 million) and Co-Investments Apprenticeships (if your pay bill is less than £3 million).
An apprenticeship levy is a small tax paid by UK companies that want to offer apprenticeship programmes. The money is paid by employers to the government, which is then stored in a fund that can be used to help pay for apprenticeship training costs.
Apprenticeships at Wirral Met
Wirral Met offers a range of apprenticeship opportunities for people of all ages who want to gain valuable experience whilst also getting a qualification. Apprenticeships are available to anyone aged 16 and over and many apprentices are in their forties and fifties. As an employer, this means that you can help current employees to retrain, improve their skills and even prepare for promotional roles.
Putting training and development at the heart of your organisation can be more cost-effective than you may realise. Not only can it help your company to attract new talent, but it can also help motivate existing employees and make them feel rewarded and valued.
Developing existing employees supports succession planning and provides backup for when team members are away from the organisation. Apprenticeships are often the most cost-effective way to do this, and Wirral Met offers all kinds of support for employers who are taking on apprentices.
One organisation that is currently boosting its workforce through Wirral Met apprenticeships is Montacs (D Montgomery Ltd), an accountant and tax consultant based in Chester Business Park.
The company has employed an Accounts and Finance Assistant Level 2 Apprentice, who has just completed her end point assessment. Benita Wilding, office manager, explained the benefits of taking on an apprentice. She said: “As well as providing us with an extra team member to help with the workload, having an apprentice has brought in a breath of fresh air.
“Having a young person who is learning new things every week helps everyone as they talk about what they have learnt, which brings discussions on new ways of looking at things, in order to improve processes.
“Working alongside Wirral Met has been a pleasure, they are very professional and keep me regularly informed of how my apprentice is getting on, both the good and the bad.”
Support in finding the right employees
When it comes to hiring new people to take on an apprenticeship at your company, it can be difficult to decide who might be a good fit for the wider team, as a CV with little to no experience in the workplace can be daunting.
Choosing Wirral Met as the place to partner with means that as an employer you will get specialised support from the experienced team who can act as a Training Manager for your business, providing free advice and guidance on funding and recruitment.
Wirral Met tutors and assessors have a wide range of expertise and can help your team of employees become more motivated and productive through specialist training. When you sign up to become an apprenticeship employer, you will also receive a free gap analysis of your current employee’s skills.
Through specialist advice and funding, partnering with Wirral Met for apprenticeships could help enhance employee satisfaction and retention, as well as bring fresh new talent to your workforce.
The adult online and short courses at Wirral Met can also be useful for employees to undertake, as it helps them gain extra qualifications and skills needed to progress, but is flexible enough to fit around a work schedule.
Another business that has decided to take advantage of the apprenticeship opportunities Wirral Met has to offer, is Moreton Health Practice.
Morton Health Practice is a GP practice based on the Wirral which provides GP/nurse/phlebotomy and other healthcare needs to patients in the Moreton area.
Rachel Wilson, assistant practice manager, explained the benefits of taking on apprentices. She said: “We have had a few apprentices over the last few years, and each one of those has been successful enough for them to gain full-time employment with us.
“The apprentices have been a great asset to us as we are able to help build them into the kind of employees we want to have working with us. They are so open and keen to learning.”
To find out more about how your organisation can benefit from Wirral Met apprenticeships, visit the website here.
