School > College > University > Employment… is the traditional route for young people to get into the workforce. There seems to be a lack of understanding in the UK with regards to alternate avenues toward employment (such as apprenticeships) and it’s not just students with this gap in their knowledge, seemingly a lot of employers are shying away from taking on apprentices and offering work experience in favour of university graduates, missing out on a large pool of prospects that could be upskilled once in employment.
With the looming fear of a potential skills shortage post Brexit, Education Secretary Justine Greening has said that a key focus of the UK’s government and organisations should be to rally together to create ‘an army of skilled young workers’ in the UK. This may well require a cultural change in the UK, with more companies becoming open to take on ‘less skilled’ workers and offering training, support and development opportunities in the workplace, to build a skilled workforce with existing employees and future workers. With a heavy reliance on ‘importing skills’ in the past, it’s important that a large focus is put on creating skills in the UK and offer more opportunity to those who don’t follow traditional career paths.
New and emerging technologies are changing the way businesses operate, which drives innovation into the business. In order to adapt to the technological changes that are happening now, businesses will need to train for current changes and plan for the future. This presents a vast amount of opportunities for businesses and young people, it also requires planning for future roles not even foreseen, which will require a different skill set.
Apprentices can offer vital support to businesses, adding key skills to boost the output of businesses. In turn, offering apprenticeships and work experience will help businesses attract some of the UK’s best young talent. You get the first chance to take on some of the UK’s best and brightest workers who are looking for an alternative to university.
The government has said it is on track to meeting its target of three million apprenticeships to address the future workforce. Businesses will need to invest in training to fill the skills gap within the existing workforce and the next generation of talent.
If you are interested in taking on an apprentice and would like help or guidance through this process, simply get in touch with the HPC team – contact us on 0844 800 5932 or email help@highperformanceconsultancy.com.
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