It’s National Apprentice Week! #NAW2024

Hiring an apprentice is a great way to invest in your business’s future, by getting talent that’s right for you. And the great news – it’s easier than you think: if you are a smaller employer, you are eligible for government funding which will pay between 95% and 100% of the apprentice training costs. If you are a large employer, you can use your levy to pay for your apprenticeship training.

Apprenticeships are appropriate for people at any age and any level (school leaver, graduate, mature) so you can hire someone new or even upskill an existing employee, allowing you to grow and nurture talent and develop a motivated, skilled and qualified workforce. They can help you to:

• Offer on-the-job training in a safe working environment
• Build a culture of learning and development
• Enjoy higher staff retention and morale
• Promote diversity and inclusion in the workplace

What’s more, there is a financial benefit to hiring apprentices. The estimated annual gain for businesses is between £2,500 and £18000 per apprentice in the UK. The output during training typically surpasses any associated costs, delivering a net benefit to your business. What’s more, these returns are likely to increase further once an apprentice completes their training and continues to work with you, after apprenticeship costs and expenses are removed and their productivity increases.

At Farnell Clarke, we are proud to employ apprentices, many of whom are at the start of their career journey and other’s who have progressed to senior roles.

“I would highly recommend FC as a great place to start your career as an apprentice within the accountancy world”  – Luke Millar, Client Manager Accounts & Advisory team. Luke joined Farnell Clarke as a level 4 apprentice in 2018 and has since completed training as a qualified accountant, and now manages one of our teams, supporting a portfolio of clients.

Unsure where to start? UCAS have over 1,000,000 students register each year and around half of those students are interested in apprenticeships, so if you’re an employer, you can target talented individuals with the exact qualifications, skillsets, characteristics and locations you’re searching for. There are also a number of training providers who work with you to recruit and support your apprentices.

If you’re interested and want to learn more about recruiting and developing apprentices, then speak to our HR team about the support we can offer to help you get started.