Every February brings National Apprenticeship Week – a week-long celebration joining businesses and apprentices across the country and shining a light on the positive impact that apprenticeships make to individuals, businesses and the wider economy. In this blog, we’ll talk a bit more about National Apprenticeship Week, and cover what a Digital Apprenticeship is.
National Apprenticeship Week
The theme for 2024 is “Skills for Life” and will consider how apprenticeships can help individuals to develop the skills and knowledge required for a rewarding career, and employers to develop a workforce with future-ready skills.
It is widely known that apprenticeships are for young people for whom university is not affordable, attainable or because they want to learn a trade. However, you might not know that a lot of businesses use apprenticeships to upskill existing staff as it provides a great investment for the organisation, and is also a simple way to retain talent – something I would highly recommend you explore for your business.
In terms of funding for apprenticeships for existing staff, it’s the same whether it’s a new starter or an existing member of staff.
The Government will fund 95% of the cost of the apprenticeship, leaving the employer a 5% employer contribution. With most Digital Apprenticeship programmes, this presents a huge return on investment (ROI) as they include Vendor qualifications at NO ADDITIONAL COST!!! The apprentice not only gains the skills that your business needs, but they also have qualifications and skills for life! I know that any employer who is willing to invest in me, has my loyalty for life (whether I am still working for them or not).
When seeking out an Apprenticeship programme, look for a provider that also has a full free recruitment service for your apprenticeship roles as well. This means a matching service between your business and the right apprentice. I have personal experience of using both QA and Firebrand for successfully finding apprentices – the key is to spend time briefing the apprenticeship provider on your business values so they can find an apprentice with the right cultural fit.
There are 4 types of apprenticeships spanning from level two to level seven (seven being the highest). These are categorised as Intermediate, Advanced, Higher and Degree apprenticeships.
What is a Digital Apprenticeship?
The digital sector covers the many different occupations that keep modern businesses, large and small, running efficiently and profitably.
Digital Apprenticeships span a wide variety of digital-centric roles, including:
- Marketing
- Business and systems analysis
- Software and hardware
- Data analysis
- Cyber security
- Network infrastructure
- Web development
- Other areas related to technology and digital innovation.
Digital professionals support a variety of online services ranging from e-commerce for retail companies to government websites, providing technology-enabled solutions to customers and staff.
Further Information
Avrion is committed to both training up young people starting out in their career, as well as investing in skilling up our existing staff. If you’d like guidance from an experienced apprenticeship mentor, feel free to connect with me and message me.
You might find our other blogs on apprenticeships useful too:
How does an Apprenticeship Work?
Digital Marketer Apprenticeship
National Apprenticeship Week 2023: A Day in the Life of an Apprentice
Avrion Apprenticeship testimonial | Firebrand Training
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