The South West’s mid-market firms are increasingly making use of apprenticeships as a means of upskilling people at all levels, according to new research.
Rising numbers of companies are training apprentices, according to the survey by Grant Thornton released during National Apprenticeship Week, which is running until February 13.
Some 76% of respondents in the region agreed that more staff would be trained using apprenticeships this year than in 2021.
Employers saw additional strategic benefits to apprenticeships with two thirds (66%) of the business leaders surveyed saying apprenticeships had helped to improve social mobility in their business. The same number of respondents agreed formal development supported employee wellbeing.
A total of 66% said that the Apprenticeship Levy had been a motivating factor in the increased use.
Jonathan Riley, practice leader for Grant Thornton UK in the South West, said: “Firms in the region are becoming increasingly proficient at using apprenticeships in a strategic manner to solve a number of crucial talent challenges.
“This could range from utilising apprenticeships to add in-demand skills into their organisations, improving diversity levels, achieving sustainable recruitment or replacing traditional graduate programmes with highly desirable qualifications.”
And it’s not just young people taking up apprenticeships in the South West - it’s people of all ages. BusinessLive spoke to some older apprentices about why they decided to undertake an apprenticeship, and how it’s benefiting their career.
Maddy Longley, 52
Madeleine Longley (Maddy), works for Bristol City Council and is undertaking an apprenticeship with SGS College in Project Management Level 4.
She said she had a “yearning” to challenge herself and started the course in September 2021.
“When I moved roles within the council, there was positive encouragement for me to take up an apprenticeship aligned to my role,” she explained.
“I chose project management because it consolidated my previous experience as a teacher, organisational skills from having worked in libraries, along with my current role supporting the business.”
Ms Longley said the best thing about doing an apprenticeship was being able to learn while applying what she knows within her job. She is also taking part in a South West Project Management competition in order to apply her learning within the real world. It has involved offering her project management skills to a charity called Feed the Homeless.
The “biggest myth” about apprenticeships, she said, is they are for college leavers only.
“They’re wrong, as anyone can do an apprenticeship, so long as they have support from their line manager,” she said. “Another myth is that it will cost the organisation money. It won’t. The apprenticeship programme is government funded.”
Ms Longley’s apprenticeship offers a 20% mandatory off-the-job training. It means she has to log seven hours a week learning.
“If I am studying, I will use a Friday to write up essays because this is a quiet day. If I am trying to schedule a Teams meeting with the charity, then I need to fit this in within my working week. I am grateful to my managers who allow me to manage my own workload.”
Ms Longley believes apprenticeships are “really important” to have an engaged workforce.
“For those who have loads of experience under their belt, it is especially important that they continue to learn, which in turn creates mobility within the organisation,” she added.
Tanya Driscoll, 46
Tanya Driscoll is doing a Level 3 HR Support (CIPD) apprenticeship with the City of Bristol College, which she started in October 2019.
She works for an organisation in the care sector called Manor Community and said she wanted to develop herself, gain knowledge and a qualification which would allow her to "progress and have an impact”.
She said: “Having a lot of support from the company allowed me to use and develop skills in my job role alongside the apprenticeship.”
She said the apprenticeship had allowed her to continue providing for her family in a full-time role, while gaining a qualification and expanding her knowledge and skills.
"It is a myth that apprenticeships are lower pay and may not end in a full-time position," she added.
"The organisation I work for allowed me to complete this apprenticeship whilst in a permanent role and earning a full-time wage.”
Tristan Bolitho, 35
Tristan Bolitho is a former RAF mechanic, who has secured a job as an apprentice for South West housing provider LiveWest.
Mr Bolitho, from Liskeard, was an Airfield Support Mechanical Transport in the RAF for four-and-a-half years.
After working in a variety of areas including building firms and moving onto working for BT for five years, he decided to apply for LiveWest two years ago as a gas engineer but despite getting to the final rounds, was unsuccessful.
He didn’t give up and decided to try again. This time he got the position and is encouraging others it’s not too late for a career change.
“When I got the position, I was chuffed, but I was also in shock, and I couldn’t believe it when she told me," he said.
"When I saw the apprenticeship for LiveWest, I knew that’s what I wanted to do. I’ve known since I was 19 but I’ve never really had the chance and because of my age as well, I thought I may be past it. When I saw it come up, I thought ‘well I’m going to try’ and I got it.”
Mr Bolitho said he was hesitant to apply for an apprenticeship due to being slightly older and because he believed the apprentice wage would not being as good.
He said: “You don’t really hear of 35-year-old apprentices. For me, I have a mortgage, so the financial aspects were a big thing, so I had to carefully think about that.
“As an apprentice, LiveWest gives you a really good wage. I’ve never heard an apprentice getting what we’re getting so that made it a lot easier.”
He would like to progress further and specialise but is really looking forward to the studying at South Devon College one day a month, he said.
“It’s the fact that LiveWest gives you more opportunities and they train you in different areas," he added. "So that for me, is awesome and everyday is like a school day because I get to learn new things.”
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