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A 16-18 year old will not have the
maturity to cope and contribute.
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Obviously, it depends on the
individual. Some of our apprentices are perfectly mature enough to
perform to a high professional standard alongside much older
colleagues. However, as with any training scheme, careers guidance
and support is very important.
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My business needs skills that fall
outside the traditional sectors / Apprenticeships are in areas like
trades and construction / Only in traditional crafts.
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Apprenticeships are not just offered
in traditional sectors.
There are more than 190 types of
Apprenticeships covering hundreds of job roles ranging from
accountancy to textiles, engineering to veterinary nursing,
business admin to construction.
Most businesses will have skills needs
that could be filled by apprentices.
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Apprenticeships are only for
recruiting new staff. Current employees couldn’t do one.
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Current employees can do an
Apprenticeship and if they are aged between 16-18 their training
will be fully funded by the Government.
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I don’t want to train someone up for
them to leave and benefit someone else’s business.
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The statistics show this is not so.
83% of employers rely on their Apprenticeships programme to provide
the skilled workers that they need for the future. 80% said that
Apprenticeship programmes reduced staff turnover. So, it seems that
Apprenticeship programmes produce staff loyalty and satisfaction
(Feb 2008 Populus research).
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My existing and older staff may see
doing an Apprenticeship as only for young people and not
appropriate for them.
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Apprenticeships are in fact open to
all age groups (post 16) and they can be beneficial career wise
even for an employee with years of experience. Government funding
will provide 100% of training costs for 16-18 year old apprentices,
and up to 50% of training for apprentices aged 19+.
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An apprentice will soak up an
inordinate amount of my time and costs and is likely to be not very
productive.
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Not so. Research carried out by
Populus in January 2009 found that 80% of employers agree that
apprentices make their workplace more productive.
However, an investment in time is
necessary in order to get the most out of your apprentices.
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Apprenticeships are for people who are
not academic / failed at school / university drop outs / People who
don’t want to go to university.
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No. Lots of people prefer to undertake
vocational training as opposed to academic studies. And
Apprenticeships result in nationally recognised qualifications
too.
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Apprentices won’t earn as much
long-term as those who take university route.
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The average apprentice earns £170 per
week, which works out at £8,840 annually. Considering that
university students may graduate with debts and need to find a job,
the earn while you learn Apprenticeships route has several
advantages.
Career progression is excellent for
apprentices, and over the course of their careers those with a
level 3 Apprenticeship earn on average £100,000 more than those
without.
[A Cost-Benefit Analysis of
Apprenticeships and Other Vocational Qualifications, University of
Sheffield, 2007].
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Apprenticeships are a thing of the
past.
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They have been around for centuries:
Leonardo da Vinci was an apprentice! Since 1996/97 there have been
more than 2 million Apprenticeship starts.
With the launch of the NAS in April
2009, there is more structure and support available for
Apprenticeship programmes.
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There is too much red tape.
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With the launch of the NAS in January
2009, there is now a vast support network for employers wishing to
take on apprentices. Once contact has been established with the NAS
and a geographical location ascertained, a regional employer
co‑ordinator will be in touch to review potential providers and
frameworks and discuss opportunities with the employers. The
Apprenticeship vacancies system will then help (with information
from the employee) find suitable candidates. There is already a
large database of interested individuals, so the process is fairly
streamlined and aimed at ease of use for employers.
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