Myth Busting Apprenticeships with Lucie Andrews
3 February 2020
To celebrate National Apprenticeship Week, the East Midlands Combined County Authority LEP have commissioned a series of blogs that look at what Apprenticeships offer from multiple perspectives.
Kicking off the week of content is Lucie Andrews, Skills Adviser at the East Midlands Combined County Authority Growth Hub. In this blog, Lucie talks about the common misconceptions businesses have about apprenticeships.
Lucie talks to our region’s SMEs about the benefits of apprenticeships and the process of employing one.
Taking on an apprentice can have huge benefits for your business but there are still a lot of myths around the process, which stops companies’ taking the plunge.
Here are four common apprenticeship misconceptions:
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Apprenticeships are for young people
Whilst most apprentices are young people, Apprenticeships don't actually have an age restriction. They are available to anyone that wants to develop competence in their job. Apprenticeships can also form part of Career Path Development. -
Apprenticeships are only for craft or technical skills
Apprenticeships are being developed in many vocational areas; Clinical Health Professionals, Architects, Engineers, and Advanced Materials Specialists to name a few. They have been developed by employers from a wide range of sectors to include the skills, knowledge, and behaviours needed for that job. -
Apprenticeships aren’t for Higher Level Skills
Actually, they are, and degree-level Apprenticeships are available in a number of different areas. Simply by offering an Apprenticeship, businesses can offer degree-level learning to people they want to attract into the business or to existing staff that want to be upskilled to support business growth. -
Apprentices attend local colleges, that’s not for me
Whilst it’s true that some apprentices dp attend colleges as part of their studies, that doesn't represent every apprenticeship journey. Funding reforms brought in following the Richard Report in 2013 mean that private training providers and Universities can now deliver Apprenticeships which helps put employers in the driving seat.
To find out more and to read the original article, please click here.
