Apprenticeships - Youre hired! Viewpoint careers advice blog

Apprenticeships - Youre hired! British employers now consider qualified apprentices more employable than university graduates. I think that’s interesting, particularly given the massive emphasis in recent years on promoting university education. However, I can also see that the type of on-the-job experience that many employers are now creating is a real win-win. Employers get highly motivated and skilled people into their business, young employees get a start in their career. Everyone gains, provided the training is done well.Yet it still feels as though we are only now starting to realise the benefits that a well-structured apprenticeship can deliver. Apprenticeships are likely to increase for UK school leavers The latest focus from the British government is to make apprenticeships the norm for school-leavers who don’t take a degree. Estimates suggest that well-run apprenticeships could boost the UK economy by over £3 billion a year via productivity gains. What it also does, maybe more importantly, is give people an excellent chance to get onto their own career ladder. But therein lies the quid pro quo. Apprenticeships only work if people complete them. Sadly the drop-out rate in recent years has been high, so it’s not just about creating apprenticeships, it’s about making sure they are structured well enough that people stay with the program and complete them. The German model is well established We could all learn a lot from the model that Germany has developed over the years. There, apprenticeships are provided for 340 recognised occupations. That’s real choice. Furthermore, the linkages forged over a long period between the technical colleges and the many strong local businesses create an enviable environment to train the future workforces. But while Germany has undoubtedly built a system for us to learn from, countries such as Holland, Denmark and Switzerland also strongly advocate vocational training, regarding a well-structured apprenticeship as prestigious as a university education. A resurgence of apprenticeships globally would be good to see So, in a world that is characterized by high levels of unemployment sitting alongside industries struggling to find the people they need, are we about to see a resurgence of apprenticeships around the world? I hope so as it’s a great way for industries and countries to develop the skilled workforces they need for the future, provided the programs are structured well, designed by the employers to meet their specific needs and accredited to a high standard so that graduates of these programs feel as though they have achieved something worthwhile. I can speak from experience as my first job was as an apprentice aeronautical engineer with British Aerospace. The training I received there gave me the foundation for many aspects of my future career and has served me well ever since. It just seems a shame that it’s taken over 30 years for the cycle to come round again and for us to remember how valuable apprenticeships are. //