What are the benefits of hiring an apprentice?

Apprentices contribute over half a BILLION pounds to UK SMEs*

Whether you decide to hire someone new or upskill an existing employee(s), using apprentices is a productive and effective way for businesses to grow talent and develop a motivated, skilled, and qualified workforce.

Organisations appear to be catching up to the opportunities of training and upskilling an apprentice, versus hiring university graduates.

*https://startups.co.uk/news/apprentice-cost-benefits-for-businesses/

The benefits of apprenticeships to your business

Apprenticeships can help businesses access funding for training, develop a skilled workforce, motivate employees, and address skills shortages, making them a valuable investment for employers.

They can help with retention, performance, and job satisfaction providing a positive and profitable impact on the business.

To discuss how our apprentices can help boost your business, please get in touch and request a call back today!

  • A survey commissioned by the UK government found that 86 percent of employers reported benefiting from 'the development of skills relevant to the organisation' by hiring apprentices.

    Adapting apprentices’ training according to the needs of your business will likely help to fill any skills gaps, as well as saving on training costs, since apprentices are contributing to the business as they learn.

  •  Staff who feel their employer has invested in their training are usually more loyal to the business since they consider their job as a career, but they are also likely to be more engaged in their roles and therefore motivated to stay. 

    According to a report by the Skills Funding Agency, 80 percent of companies who invest in apprentices have seen a significant increase in employee retention.

  • According to the National Apprenticeship Service, 78 percent of employers said apprenticeships helped them improve productivity. This can be for a number of reasons. For example, existing employees are often required to wear lots of different hats and spend much of their time completing smaller tasks instead of focusing on their key areas of work. 

    By allocating these tasks to apprentices, you can help them to learn and take responsibility, while at the same time freeing up time in existing employees’ schedules. Experienced staff also have the opportunity to mentor apprentices, allowing them to develop their interpersonal and management skills.  

  • Since the introduction of the Apprenticeship Levy in 2017, employers now receive significant financial support from the government to help pay for apprenticeship training.

    While various levy-paying organisations already have funds waiting to be used, for non-levy paying businesses, apprenticeship fees are usually heavily subsidised or even free.

    In addition to making your business more competitive, this significant cost saving also reduces the amount spent when it comes to recruiting new staff. 

  •  Apprentices are particularly valued for their willingness to learn new skills and their innovative approach to problem-solving – something which can not only have a knock-on effect on existing staff, but can lead to creative ways of working too. 

    The fact that apprentices come from a variety of backgrounds also means they can bring valuable insight, fresh perspectives, and new skill sets into your workforce — helping you to develop a crucial talent pipeline for your business. 

Case study video from Luxury Family Hotels

Leadership Apprenticeships with Umbrella Training

Take a look at this fantastic video created by LFH which explains how Umbrella Training Ltd has enhanced current apprentices’ learning, skills, confidence and development.

Our Services

Whether you decide to hire someone new or upskill an existing employee(s), using apprentices is a productive and effective way for businesses to grow talent and develop a motivated, skilled and qualified workforce.

An apprenticeship is a work-based training programme designed around your requirements as the employer. An apprentice is employed by your business and works towards a specific, recognised qualification relevant to your business needs.

The skills gap currently affecting many organisations within the UK hospitality industry has presented various challenges when it comes to both recruitment and staff retention, something apprenticeships are helping to tackle. 

If you would like to talk about how apprenticeships could benefit and grow your business and staff, please contact our team today.  

A quick Q&A

  • Most apprenticeships are government funded through a levy fund.

    Large employers are subject to the Apprenticeship Levy if their annual pay bill is £3 million or over.

    Smaller employers with a total annual pay bill of less than £3 million pay just 5% of the cost of their apprenticeship training and the Government pays 95%.

    We aim to work toward helping ALL-sized businesses receive funding where we can.

    We can also assist with levy gifting from other hospitality companies who donate their unused levy to other businesses within the industry. Speak to us about this option and we will be happy to tell you more!

  • Yes!

    An apprentice must be paid a minimum of the National Minimum Wage for apprentices for the first 12 months.

    Many employers we work with offer a higher rate than this based on the living and transport costs in the local area.

    We ask employers to bear in mind local living costs and transport costs when setting the apprenticeship salary.

  • Apprentices are like any other employee. There must be a need for them in your business.

    Our apprentices must be employed for a minimum of 30 hours per week, for a minimum of 12 months.

    The apprentice must have a contract of employment.

    While on the programme they will learn their job role around your business values and needs as well as the skills they need to pass the standard.

  • To help the apprentice learn and develop into a key member of your team and pass their programme.

    You can do this by:

    Assigning the learner a mentor and have them work with experienced staff.

    Teach and demonstrate job-specific skills on-the-job.

    Allow the learner to study during their working week. This is 20% off-the-job training time.

  • Employers can decide whether they would like to continue employing the apprentice as a regular member of staff, or whether they think it is time for the apprentice to move on.

    Most of our apprentices are offered full-time roles after their apprenticeships!

  • Yes!

    Apprenticeships work on a 70 /20 principle. 70% of the time is spent in practical learning (on the job) an the other 20% is spent in learning (off the job).

    The 20% can look like this:

    Time with their Umbrella Training learning consultant.

    Apprenticeship clubs.

    Classroom learning.

    BOOST courses.

  • A majority of our apprenticeships take 12 months.

    However, for higher standards, the time can be 18 months to 24 months.

  • The levy is paid by large employers with a pay bill of over £3 million (they pay 0.5% of their total annual pay bill). Currently, only 2% of employers pay the apprenticeship levy, but this funding has helped directly support almost 50% of all apprenticeships in 2017/18.

    Find out how to access apprenticeship funding for your business here.

  • No, not at all. The levy is there to fund apprenticeship training for all employers. Smaller employers – those with a total annual pay bill of less than £3million – pay just 5% of the cost of their apprenticeship training and the Government pays the rest.

    Find out how to access apprenticeship funding for your business here.

  • The levy is there to fund apprenticeship training for all employers. Any unspent levy funds are used to support existing apprentices to complete their training and to pay for apprenticeship training for smaller employers.

    Find out how to access apprenticeship funding for your business here.

  • We understand that employers want and need flexibility. To support this the Government extended the amount of time employers have to spend their levy funds from 18 to 24 months. Levy paying employers can now also transfer up to 25% of their levy funds to other employers.

    Find out how to access apprenticeship funding for your business here.

What to do next

If you already have an apprentice lined up and they ready to start their course, you can find our list of current open cohorts here.

If you have any questions or wish to enroll a large group of apprentices (8 or more - closed cohort), please get in touch with our commercial team via email info@umbrellatraining.co.uk or call on 0333 577 2557

If you are looking to recruit an apprentice, please contact Zak Bentaleb of Umbrella Employ with your requirements via email zakaria.bentaleb@umbrellatraining.co.uk