Upskilling your workforce via apprenticeships is an easy way for businesses of all sizes to reduce recruitment costs, improve staff retention and futureproof the business.

Apprenticeships can help staff become better at doing what they do best, by gaining new technical and workplace knowledge with support, expertise and advice from an established training provider such as Total People.

However, we understand there can be barriers to upskilling, such as timing, workload and budget constraints. Total People can help remove these barriers and help you build a training plan bespoke to your business needs.

To explain more, we asked Julie Podesta, our Contact Centre Manager who oversees our Recruitment and Engagement teams, some of the most common questions we get asked around upskilling.
 

What are the benefits of upskilling my team?

There are many benefits to an organisation for using apprenticeships to upskill your team.

It’s a very cost-effective way for the business to upskill and develop employees. The Government offers the apprenticeship levy and it offers funding towards training for new and existing staff.

Another benefit is it fills skills gaps. Apprenticeships can be used to help you to address the skills gaps within your organisation.

It can give increased job satisfaction. Employees can benefit from professional development and the recognition that goes along with that, which can result in lower staff turnover. Investing in your employees’ development encourages loyalty and helps staff retention.

Ultimately it creates a talent pool for the future within your organisation. Apprenticeships can contribute to the long-term skills development of your organisation.
 

How do I know what training my team needs?

As an organisation you first need to try and decide what you want to achieve. Within that, you would look to identify the knowledge, skills and abilities that are already within your team, but also what knowledge, skills and abilities are needed to meet the objectives of the organisation.

A big part of understanding what your team already know is to talk to employees and managers. Do an organisational needs analysis; work out what people already know and what you need them to be able to know.

Then, evaluate your current training resources and speak to a provider like Total People. We can help you look at what you need, what you already have within your organisation, and we can match our training and our apprenticeships to those demands.
 

What is the first step in upskilling my team?

The first step in upskilling your team is always to assess the skills that you have and assess the skills that you'll need over the next five to ten years, or however long you’re looking to plan for the business.

You need to link with your employees with upskilling; you need their buy-in. They are going to be key to this growth and progression. 

Then you need to set upskilling goals. Break it down into small training portions or look at different apprenticeships and then determine the format that works for you. Work out what's best for your organisation.

Finally, consider partnering with a training provider like Total People so that we can help you on that long term plan to achieve the organisation’s needs.
 

How much will it cost to upskill my team?

Often, upskilling your team costs less than hiring externally. Rather than taking on a new recruit, the person you need is already a colleague. There has already been an investment into that person and the training element of it can be funded in one of a few different ways.

If you are a levy organisation, the cost of the training and assessment for that apprenticeship is taken from your apprenticeship levy. It varies dependent on what apprenticeship it is they're undertaking. There are different funding bands for the apprenticeship but this will all come out of the employer's levy pot, so there is no additional cost for the employer to the training.

If you are a non-levy organisation, the minimum that the government will pay is 95% of the training. The maximum a non-levy employer may have to pay for this is 5% of the training costs. 

Total People are quite unique in the sense we have a levy gifting service that we manage ourselves. We work with large organisations who gift their levy to smaller organisations that we work with, so we can help with the administration of this service.

There are many different ways to make sure upskilling and apprenticeships don’t actually cost an organisation a great deal.
 

Is there any funding available?

There are currently some grants available for employers who are looking to take on apprentices.

If you are taking on an apprentice who is age 16 to 18, or aged 19 to 24 who has an EHCP (Educational Healthcare Plan), if you meet the criteria there is a grant of £1000 that employees will get for taking on this apprentice.

This is to help with additional costs associated with Support and with them in the workplace. It would be split into two payments and paid at key points of the apprenticeship. This is paid direct to the employer from the provider.
 

To find out more about upskilling your workforce with Total People, visit  our upskilling page and get in touch today.