UK 
United States
Helen Clark, Principal Consultant
While UK productivity has increased in recent months it’s still lagging behind most G7 countries. To address the situation government is introducing the levy to encourage employers to invest more in apprenticeships and help improve off-the-job training. Starting next April, the levy will raise an estimated £3bn a year to support 3 million new apprenticeships by 2020. If implemented successfully, it could help to address key skills shortages and offer viable alternative career paths to young people and those from disadvantaged backgrounds.
Some organisations may choose to accept the levy as a cost, however many will reinvest it in apprenticeships across their organisation. Apprenticeships can be offered from GCSE’s up to masters’ level degrees, presenting a broad range of talent strategy options. For example, key skills could be trained for rather than hired in, traditional training programmes could be replaced with apprenticeships, or new initiatives could be established. The broader aim of the levy is to address the UK’s skills gaps, therefore key to its success will be the identification of these skills gaps in order to target critical business needs and functions.
Once identified, organisations then need to compete for talent to fill these apprenticeships. Not a new challenge but given the limited, if any, work experience or qualifications of this population, organisations need to find suitable ways to attract, recruit, support and retain apprentices. At Cubiks we’ve been talking with our clients more than ever about adapting selection processes specifically for apprentices; to find appropriate ways to assess if applicants have the motivation, aptitude and potential to do the job and will be the right fit for their business culture and values. Things we’re doing include evidence-based apprentice profiles for psychometrics, along with new exercises and interview techniques suited to this audience.
It’s worth taking the time to get this right as many organisations have found apprentices to be some of the most engaged, loyal and productive employees. In an increasingly competitive market, offering apprenticeships represents an opportunity to target more diverse untapped talent pools, to engage with them earlier in their career and keep them for longer, whilst also realising the bottom line benefits of growing your own talent.
To find out more about attracting and selecting the right apprentices for your business, please get in touch: [email protected] / www.cubiks.co.uk
