01 Select apprentices carefully
Carefully thought-out selection and assessment processes are important and will ideally involve an initial selection process, followed by an interview and a trial period in the job to enable both the company and the apprentice to get to know each other.
02 Don’t take on too many
Young people bring a vital dynamic to organisations, providing fresh thinking and new types of skills. Taking on apprentices after their training will enable you to build a “home-grown” workforce and allow the company to grow. However, looking after and guiding apprentices can be time-consuming. It’s important, therefore, not to take on too many at once and that mentor-apprentice ratios are low.
03 Ensure proper mentoring
An apprenticeship is most young people’s first experience of work, so mentoring from older, more experienced staff with the same skills set can make a real difference to apprentices: they have someone to learn from, and can consult them if they have any problems. It’s generally best if the mentors are ex-apprentices themselves, so they know what the new apprentices are going through. Mentors usually work closely with apprentices on a daily basis, and help with life skills too, if necessary.
04 Offer pastoral care if possible
Young people starting work for the first time often need extra help in other areas of their life. Some companies, such as housing maintenance contractor Mears Construction, work towards equipping apprentices with technical, practical and general workplace and life skills. For example, they might help young people with opening a bank account, or finding somewhere to live. Mears also tailors training to individuals and sometimes offers its apprentices training in non-construction skills, such as driving lessons and refresher classes in maths and literacy.
05 Be flexible
Apprentices will need to study at certain times to pass exams and so it’s important to be flexible in terms of allowing time off to study. Flexibility in the length of the apprenticeship can also help as not all young people progress at the same rate. This can potentially be difficult for an organisation to manage, but the impact of this can be lessened by regular meetings with apprentices to assess their progress and enable forward planning in case they need more time.
By Andrea Broughton, principal research fellow, Institute for Employment Studies
