Building the future during National Apprenticeship Week

Busy Bees Education and Training will mark this year’s National Apprenticeship Week (8 – 14 February) by supporting businesses across the UK with free advice on how they can train, retain and achieve with apprenticeships.

The week will aim to highlight how apprentices can help to ‘Build the Future’ for UK businesses, many of whom are facing significat disruption and challenges brought about by the pandemic.

The award-winning training provider, rated as ‘Outstanding’ by Ofsted, delivers a range of apprenticeships and training courses in sectors ranging from childcare, health and social care to hospitality, management and more.

During the week, their support will be can be found on their website, via a special podcast on their channel. They will also have an #AskAnApprentice Twitter takeover, where an apprentice will be on hand to answer any questions tweeted to @bbtraining.

Busy Bees Education and Training also want other local businesses to get involved on Valentine’s Day, with an ‘I love Apprenticeships’ special, where learners, trainers or anyone who’s benefitted from an apprenticeship can show their support across their social media channels.  

Clare Phizacklea, Managing Director at Busy Bees Education and Training, said: “This National Apprenticeship Week, we want to bang the drum about the merits of apprenticeships and the value they bring to all organisations.

“Many of the most successful businesses rely on strong, sustainable apprenticeship programmes, and it’s just as important for SMEs too. Apprentices are often incredibly keen to learn and succeed, bringing with them fresh new ideas and thinking which can invigorate and help to grow an organisation.”

Here are Clare’s top 5 tips to employers this National Apprenticeship Week:

1. Apprenticeships aren’t just for graduates. Use them to upskill and develop an existing workforce, increasing your team’s motivation by showing that they’re valued members of your team.  
2. You aren’t limited to just a single apprentice, so funding can be a really cost-effective way to help businesses develop and grow their workforce. 
3. Using the apprenticeship incentive payment scheme, employers can claim up to £2,000 for a new recruit up until 30 April 2021, with an additional £1,000 if they’re 16-18 years old, or between 19-24 and with a local authority education, health and care plan.
4. While levy funds cover the cost of qualification, the incentive payments can be used to pay for your apprentice’s travel, uniform or even salary.
5. The Apprenticeship Levy is a useful resource to fund the training of your staff, but it can be difficult to navigate. If you’re in any doubt about the funding options available to you, speak to an expert.
   
   If you would like more advice on hiring an apprentice, click here