Why Hire an Apprentice? Key Benefits for Employers Explained

The question “Should I hire an apprentice?” is still one that we get asked quite often. 

We think it only makes sense in today’s economy, as budgets are under pressure in many different industries and hiring staff needs to be done as efficiently as possible. 

However, we know the answer to this question. We are working with many companies across the UK that have seen the tangible results first-hand. The commercial impact on their recruiting pipelines, lower talent development costs and higher retention rates means we can answer the question “Should I hire an apprentice” with a confident yes! 

We will break down why you should recruit an apprentice, what the business benefits are and why we think that hiring an apprentice is a great strategic move. 

Apprentices for long-term talent development 

Apprenticeships are a great way to flip some of the issues that we see with traditional recruitment on their head. 

Regular recruitment is a great way to solve the problem of staff shortages in a relatively short time. However, there are some cases where quickly finding someone to fill a gap in your team or company can lead to further issues a few months down the line. 

The new employee might find that the company culture is not the right fit for them, or that they don’t have the skills or background to tackle the tasks as effectively as they believed they could. 

This resets the recruitment process, leading to further recruitment costs and further time loss. 

Training an apprentice flips this procedure around. It starts with the apprentice getting to fully understand the company while they learn and pick up more tasks as time progresses. They pick up the skills they need on the job and in the classroom, meaning that the likelihood of a skill mismatch is quite low 

After they complete their apprenticeship, offering them a job means they have had the entire apprenticeship to build their capabilities and adapting to the company culture. 

This leads to an individual or a team of people trained with your specific business needs in mind. It also means you’re not spending time and money looking for suitable recruits, as you already have a cost-efficient workforce ready to transition into employees after their apprenticeships. 

Working with apprentices effectively means investing in the long-term, rather than the short-term. This is because apprenticeships typically last between 8 months and 5 years to complete, based on the level of qualification that will be earned through the apprenticeship. 

Cost efficient hiring with apprenticeships 

One of the most well-known reasons for hiring an apprentice has to do with the costs. 

If you grow a workforce from one or multiple apprentices, these benefits will become quite apparent. 

Finding and hiring an apprentice is often a very cost-effective way to hire. It allows you to bypass the recruitment process and the associated fees.  

It also means that the process of onboarding apprentices is cheaper than the training procedure of regular hires. Apprentices are getting their training while on the job, meaning they can get stuck in a lot quicker than normal hires. This means that their productivity will also develop over time at often more cost-effective salaries. 

Apprentice retention 

When considering the pros and cons of hiring an apprentice, the best strategy is to think long-term. 

Starting with apprentices gives you a great roadmap to work towards with them, as it allows you to consider their development over a period of multiple months right out of the gate. It gives your apprentices a sense of progression and purpose, which has a great impact on their motivation and devotion to the work. 

This investment into the apprentices often leads to a more loyal workforce, which means that your retention rates will be positively boosted. 

An effective apprenticeship pipeline that engages and motivates the apprentices is also a great long-term recruitment plan. 

The way this works is that heavily investing in your apprentices from the gate means that are dedicated and motivated during their apprenticeship. This turns into loyalty, which means that they will be more likely to stay after their apprenticeships end as an employee when offered a position. 

In short, retaining your apprentices mean you are keeping talent in-house. 

Investing in their development early on means they are more effective and efficient than fresh hires would be, and when you are looking for someone to fill in a more mid-level or senior position, these former apprentices are a great resource to tap into, again allowing you to circumvent traditional hiring processes and the associated costs. 

Apprentices who are treated well will stick around longer, work harder and will be more devoted to the company than fresh hires will be. Another benefit of this is that the team and company culture will be much stronger and diverse. A team that has worked together for a longer time is more effective at their jobs. 

Plug skill gaps and train leaders 

Many businesses recruit to solve problems right away. They want to plug gaps and solve problems within their leadership team, in digital or tech roles, and in operations. 

If you need an instant solution, hiring the traditional way might be your only option, as apprentices are a longer-term investment. 

However, if you know what kind of skills you might require in the future, the apprenticeships allow you to plan ahead. Train your apprentices in the right skills and you can prepare without needing to hope that your potential recruits have the skills you’re after. 

Apprentices are an amazing way to upskill staff as well. It is not just something for new starters, but they help transform your supervisors into managers, prepare people for taking on a senior role and turn apprentices into effective ways to build out your team. 

How can Total People help with hiring apprentices? 

At Total People, we are experts when it comes to working with your company to ensure that apprenticeships are going smoothly for both parties. 

We can help you strategically start finding the apprentices you need and help them develop their skills in the areas needed for the roles you need them for. 

The benefits of an apprenticeship as a strategic tool for your growing workforce are not to be underestimated. Interested? Reach out to our experts today and we can discuss how Total People can support.