Benefits of apprenticeships

Apprenticeships are a way for businesses to develop both their new and existing staff, using funding the Government has set aside specifically for this purpose. They bring together training providers such as LSBU, employers, professional bodies and apprentices in a formal relationship to meet the needs of the modern economy. Your existing staff can undertake an apprenticeship to gain the skills your company needs. Read more about who can be an apprentice.

Apprenticeships offer you the chance to hire fresh talent, who will benefit from training fees being paid for out of the levy pot – a great way to progress new recruits. Our dedicated Apprenticeship Team support recruitment and shortlisting for your apprenticeship vacancies for free.

There are various requirements set out by the Government that the employer must meet for an apprentice.

Apprenticeships are offered at a range of levels; from pre-GCSE right through to degree level. This means staff at various levels can benefit. At LSBU, we offer apprenticeships at higher and degree level. An apprenticeship is more than a qualification; it includes formalised work-based learning and some also include a professional accreditation opportunity.

In the past, the scope of Apprenticeships was quite restricted to certain industries. Today, there are apprenticeships available for all sectors, with some being applicable cross-sector. For example, our Chartered Management Degree Apprenticeship can be studied by people in any industry. Sector-specific examples include our Embedded Electronic Systems Design and Development Engineer Apprenticeship and Chartered Town Planner Apprenticeship– and many more.

One of the biggest benefits for employers is that apprenticeships are specifically designed to meet your needs, as apprenticeship standards are written by groups of employers and academics within relevant sectors, with new standards being developed all the time.

Standards have to be approved by the Government before LSBU can deliver them. All apprenticeships are aligned to a specific apprenticeship standard, meaning content is relevant and up-to-date. For example, our Chartered Surveying Degree Apprenticeship incorporates a degree in BSc Quantity Surveying or BSc Building Surveying – as well as a professional RICS qualification.

Apprentices typically study on campus one day per week and work in a related job role four days per week, providing an unrivalled combination of theoretical study and development in the workplace. For some employers, this works particularly well. Tfl, one of our employer partners, said “we’ve been working with LSBU for a number of years now… we need the staff here four days a week and we know that works very well with LSBU.”

All companies have access to the Apprenticeship Levy pot, which funds all or most of the apprenticeship training costs - rather than being fully paid for by you, the business. Find out more about apprenticeship funding and the levy and what this means for your business.

The apprentice signs a commitment document for the Apprenticeship Standard, so you know they’re keen to be committed to you – and the apprenticeship – for a period of time. A 2017 survey by the Department For Education found that 89% of all employed higher apprentices felt that it was likely that they would remain with the same employer for the next 2-3 years.

The Government have produced a helpful guide listing the benefits of employing an apprentice which explains:  Employers who have an established apprenticeship programme reported that productivity in their workplace had improved by 76% whilst 75% reported that apprenticeships improved the quality of their product or service.

LSBU have a dedicated Apprenticeship Team to help you navigate the world of apprenticeships, from skills gap analysis to recruitment through to monitoring apprentice progression, we’re here to support you.