The younger generation is full of bright and innovative ideas that are vital to the long-term success and sustainability of any industry. Apprenticeships are an excellent way to encourage young people and allow them to learn a wide range of skills in many different environments pertaining to their interests and career choices.
In the coming years, apprentices will be more critical than ever, thanks to COVID-19. With the disruption that the pandemic has caused to so many industries, including manufacturing, it’s crucial that people are trained and given the opportunities to enter an industry as everything opens up again. And with the rampant unemployment hitting young people the hardest, it’s one of the best ways to help get people into work.
Apprenticeships offer not only training but also improved job prospects; there are many benefits for companies to invest in them. Here at Airedale Springs, we strive for innovation and excellence by helping to shape young people’s learning experiences.
Benefits of Apprenticeships
Good for the Economy and Business
According to Cebr, apprenticeships are predicted to contribute £3.4bn by 2022; between the years of 2012-2013 and 2021-2022, 3.8 million people will complete an apprenticeship and increase productivity gains. Businesses are growing profits, bettering products, lowering prices, and increasing wages as the average apprentice who completes the course will improve overall company productivity by £214 per week.
Incentives from the Government
The UK government wants to encourage businesses to take on apprentices, and it’s no wonder. Not only do they provide value to businesses and the economy overall, but they also help to reduce the number of young people out of work, which is a serious concern at the moment.
The government have introduced payments to support organisations that take on new apprentices between 1st August 2020 and 31st January 2021. This payment is additional to the existing £1,000 already offered to those who take on an apprentice aged 16 to 18, or under 25s with an education, health and care plan or has been in the care of their local authority.
You can expect an additional £2,000 for apprentices aged 16 to 24, and £1,500 for those over the age of 25. It can be spent on anything to support your organisation’s costs, and it does not have to be paid back.
Obtain Skilled Workers
In addition to contributing to the economy with a boost of money and getting government incentives, apprenticeships are essential to provide an extremely skilled workforce. By involving young people in a company environment and providing hands-on learning from experienced engineers, apprentices will gain skills and experience that will help them succeed in their chosen career path.
Work placement within the company might follow, ensuring that the next generation of talented engineers has all the required knowledge for the industry. By accepting young people in apprenticeships, your company will be more appealing to students or prospective students in engineering, allowing you to shape their learning experience.
By developing apprenticeships in the competitive engineering career, companies like us can help the UK compete on a global scale in sectors like Aerospace, Security and Defence. Being competitive in innovation and technological development will assure that companies will grow and expand, feeding back into the economy and creating even more apprenticeship positions.
Apprentices will benefit from having direct contact with certified engineers with decades of experience, employing them with all the necessary skills for a successful career. Many apprenticeships are followed by work placements, as companies take in the talented young generation they helped teach.
Cost-Effective Training
Apprenticeships are a fantastic way to train new staff cost-effectively. Young apprentices make contributions to the workplace while they are learning, gaining skills on the job, and you can receive government incentives as well. Apprenticeships may also be externally funded, or training costs covered elsewhere.
So, you can benefit from their work output while also training up a potential long-term employee for the future.
Revitalise a Company
Apprentices can help give your company the boost you didn’t even know it needed. With an apprentice on hand to take on some of the smaller tasks, it frees up your more experienced staff to concentrate on key areas of work and spend time on other tasks – making your overall business practices more productive.
Apprentices can also bring a fresh approach to the workplace, which could have a knock-on effect on existing staff. Their willingness to learn can bring new ideas to the company and a fresh insight that you may not have considered before, allowing your business to benefit from potentially great ideas.
Apprenticeships at Airedale Springs
Here at Airedale Springs, investing in young talent is one of our priorities. We have previously welcomed Max Greathead from Haworth and Alfie Moses from Oakworth as CNC machine setter apprentices. They were both completing a NVQL2 in Manufacturing Process Operations that includes spring making.
Our outstanding employee Brian Russell provided the induction and basic spring manufacturing training, coming out of retirement to teach skills he acquired over his many years of experience. Max and Alfie’s basic training programme for the NVQL2 was just a part of our investment in talented young people and our very own future new setters.
Perfection and excellence are fundamental for our company, and we invest in all areas of our business, including customer service, our products and services and, of course, new engineering talent through apprenticeships.
At Airedale Springs, we have been leading spring manufacturers in the UK for more than 70 years. For more information about what we do, contact us to speak with our highly-skilled team, who are always happy to answer any query you might have.