Recruitment: Brush up your skills for a brighter future

THEY were the forgotten methods of training young people for a job, but in the last few months, apprenticeships have become one of the biggest buzzwords in the economy.

As part of the UK government’s plan for growth, ministers have pledged money and action to make it easier for companies to take on apprentices, and they say they will ensure that the quality of apprenticeships is continually improved. There will be more apprenticeships than ever before, and in many types of jobs where they were never used until now, apprenticeship schemes will be created.

Each of the four nations in the UK has its own skills and development polices, and separate agencies to fund and organise training programmes, but all are greatly committed to apprenticeships as a way of preparing people for work – the Scottish government, for instance, is funding 25,000 modern apprenticeships each year.

UK Business Secretary Vince Cable recently announced new measures to ensure more young people in England benefit from an apprenticeship, and to help employers gain the skilled workers they need to grow.

There are real incentives available, such as a new scheme to encourage thousands of small firms that do not currently hire apprentices to take on young people aged 16 to 24, with the government offering firms with up to 50 employees an incentive payment of up to £1,500 per apprentice. The hope is that 20,000 apprentices will be taken on in 2012/13 as a result of this move alone.

Red tape will be cut so apprentices can be taken on more quickly, and health and safety requirements will be streamlined so that there are no additional demands on employers that already meet national standards.

These changes are part of a major shift in attitude within government which has seen a drive to create hundreds of thousands of apprenticeships across the United Kingdom. Some 442,000 people started an apprenticeship last year, the vast majority of them young people. Cable said: “Apprenticeships are proven to boost the life chances of young people, and are a sound investment in our future competitiveness. So when times are tough, it’s right that we should provide additional support to help the smallest firms meet training costs.”

Skills Minister John Hayes said: “By reviving apprenticeships, this government is helping thousands of people discover the purposeful pride that builds successful careers, thriving firms and strong communities. By continuing to drive up standards and to reach out to small businesses, we’ll create a culture which values, drives and rewards vocational excellence and fuels economic and social progress.”

Research has shown that every single pound of public investment in an apprenticeship generates up to £40 for the wider economy; improvements in productivity ensure employers recoup their training costs within three years; and an advanced apprenticeship boosts an employee’s lifetime earnings by around £100,000, while for the apprentice, there is the obvious additional benefit of earning while they are learning.

For all sorts of reasons, apprenticeships are now firmly on the political and economic agenda. All that remains is for people to find the one that suits them.