An apprentice can be a huge benefit to your business for so many reasons. They bring fresh ideas and a positive attitude which means they're always willing to take on a challenge.
Paragon Skills, an award-winning, Ofsted-rated ‘Good’ apprenticeship training provider, has been providing apprenticeship training since 1998 and has placed thousands of apprentices in businesses across England with plenty of success.
The health and social care sector is the largest sector in the º£½ÇÊÓƵ, employing nearly four million people. It is wide-ranging, covering highly complex acute care delivered in hospital settings, as well as personal care and support delivered in people’s homes or in residential care settings.
It is anticipated that more than two million new workers will need to be trained and recruited into the health and social care sector between 2012 and 2022 as the sector grows and some members of staff retire, making it the perfect time to take on an apprentice.
Issues over the past few years have put an additional strain on the healthcare sector. These issues included the pandemic which put great stress on the workforce, as well as Brexit which led to a high proportion of the workforce from Eastern European countries being no longer eligible to work in the º£½ÇÊÓƵ and leaving them with no choice but to leave.
Another issue for some time, although now dropped, was vaccinations being made compulsory for the care workforce which had an impact on people wanting to move into the sector or stay in work within the sector.
Vacancy rates have been steadily rising again since the wider economy has opened back up. As of August 2021, vacancy rates are now back above their pre-pandemic levels. And that is why hiring an apprentice with the help of could be a great move for your business.
How can recruiting an apprentice benefit a care setting?
Kayleigh Spiller, Early Careers and Apprenticeship Lead for Somerset Care , said: "We use apprenticeships to attract and inspire our next generation of carers. It's a great platform to hire, develop and retain talent. Plus, apprenticeships enable us to support our current workforce development to enhance the skills and knowledge of our current employees and support their career development."
Improve patient care
Apprentices tend to be eager, motivated and flexible. Remember, an apprentice is with you because they want to be – they have made an active choice to learn on the job and a commitment to a specific career. Apprenticeships increase loyalty to the organisation and most apprentices stay with their recruiting employer resulting in a consistent and cohesive approach to patient care.
Develop a skilled, motivated and qualified workforce
Quality is key to apprenticeships – providing high-quality training that benefits both apprentices and employers. Developed by employers for employers, apprenticeships can enable your organisation to train more of your employees, whether existing or new, in the specific skills that are critical for your organisation. They can also help you develop the specialist knowledge that is needed to keep pace with the latest technology and working practices in healthcare e.g. Dementia Awareness, Infection Control, Health Informatics and IT.
Apprentices gain the new skills and learning they need to carry out their job roles and this also prepares them for future employment. Higher Apprenticeships at Levels 4 and above are a cost-effective way for employers within the NHS to recruit high-quality talent early and to provide an educational framework for the development of existing staff.
Many healthcare organisations are already benefiting from being able to use funded apprenticeship schemes to attract excellent people from their local community as well as using apprenticeships to qualify the existing workforce resulting in well-trained, motivated staff who 'earn as they learn'.
Created opportunities
Provide opportunities and recognition for all support staff (clinical and non-clinical) including the development of transferable skills, resulting in increased flexibility of the workforce.
Apprenticeships open up opportunities for young people to enter the health sector, a particular benefit to organisations given the ageing NHS workforce and concerns around specific skills shortages. They can strengthen your corporate and social responsibility strategies by providing employment, with training, into entry-level jobs and access to professions for local people.
Transferability and Progression
Supporting progression pathways, apprenticeships are available from level 2 up to level 7 across some occupations. They cover a range of job roles including, both clinical and non-clinical areas e.g. Health Care, Laboratory Technician, IT, Finance and Business Administration.
Increased Productivity
Nearly every employer that takes on an apprentice (96%) reports benefits to their business, demonstrating that apprenticeships deliver real returns to your bottom line. 72% of organisations report improved productivity as a result of employing an apprentice. Other business benefits reported by apprentice employers include improved services, the introduction of new ideas to the organisation, improved staff morale and better staff retention.
Cost-effective recruitment and training
Training apprentices can be cost-effective, leading to lower overall training and recruitment costs.
Having more than one apprentice can provide the opportunity to stagger release time and rotate apprentices across departments to meet business needs and to provide a broader experience for the apprentice. Training costs are funded in full for 16-18-year-olds, and on a sliding scale for those aged 19+.
Apprentices tend to be loyal to the organisation that invested in them and this in turn can result in reduced staff turnover and improved staff retention through career progression.
By developing skills and creating progressive career pathways, care employers can use apprenticeships to unlock bright futures for their people, so they stay in their roles. With future-ready training available with , apprenticeships provide a clear route for filling vital workforce gaps – and for creating lasting change for the health and social care workforce.
For more information about hiring an apprentice and how to apply, .
