The Letting Partnership dispels myths around hiring apprentices
Specialist provider of services to the letting industry, The Letting Partnership, is dispelling some common myths around hiring apprentices as unemployment rates for young people remain high.
Apprentices are cost effective to employ, will add value to a business, are likely to stay on after their apprenticeship is over and bring fresh perspectives and new ideas.
It is also an easy straight forward process to find strong candidates.
As the UK marked National Apprenticeships Week during February, The Letting Partnership is keen to highlight misconceptions around hiring apprentices which can sometimes put businesses off.
Chris Mason, Operations Manager at The Letting Partnership said: “The latest figures from the Office for National Statistics show that more 16-24 year-olds have dropped out of the UK workforce than any other age group. Year-on-year, between September to November 2020, there were around 200,000 fewer 16-24 year-olds in employment, so there is a need to create more opportunities for them.
“Our experience of hiring apprentices at The Letting Partnership has been so positive. They have helped our business to grow, are bright, dedicated and full of enthusiasm.”
Myth: It’s time-consuming
Taking on any new member of staff comes with a cost in terms of time. Training a new team member, regardless of their level of experience will take up resources. At The Letting Partnership, we found that our apprentices were quick to learn and hard-working, arriving with a lot of enthusiasm and commitment to succeed.
Myth: They are inexperienced
We discovered that the Level 3 Business Administration courses provided our apprentices with a fantastic grounding and they came armed with knowledge about how businesses work. They also brought their own fresh ideas and the rest of the team is actually learning from them too. The truth is apprentices can help to upskill a workforce.
Myth: it’s expensive
With initiatives such as the Government’s Kickstart scheme offering funding to businesses which take on apprentices, it can be a cost-effective way of hiring new team members. The scope of Kickstart has just been expanded so that smaller businesses can take part too. Apprentices can quickly help a business to scale up and grow, so they can have a direct impact on the bottom line.
Myth: it’s complicated
Our own experience of working in partnership with Greater Brighton Metropolitan College to find our apprentices has been extremely straight forward. We have been so impressed by the quality of its candidates, and by the process, that we are planning to take on more apprentices in the future.
Myth: apprentices leave after qualifying
The Letting Partnership hired its first apprentices in 2016, beginning with John Westwood who is now the Client Induction Lead, who has taken on full responsibility for onboarding and settling in new clients since he passed his apprenticeship. He was followed by Ocean-Lee Parker, who passed her apprenticeship in September 2020 and accepted a full-time role as a Client Accounts Administrator, mentoring our latest new apprentices who joined in the summer.
If businesses provide the right kind of nurturing environment, training and prospects at the end of the course, there’s no reason why apprentices won’t be interested in continuing their career with the business.
Chris adds: “The lettings industry would certainly be an exciting place for any young person to start their career and we think apprentices have a lot to offer. We hired three apprentices after we witnessed a surge in demand for our outsourced client accounting and Client Money Protection services this year and they have already helped our business to grow while rising to the challenge of working remotely during the pandemic. We couldn’t be prouder of them.”
Henry Powell, Chairman of the Coastal West Sussex Partnership, adds: “The skills challenge means local employers, organisations and education providers need to work together to create better prospects for young people, which in turn will create better outcomes for business.
“A myth around offering apprenticeships is that it can be difficult for businesses to get involved. We recently held a webinar with local MP and Minister for Apprenticeships and Skills Gillian Keegan. Some of the advice that came out of the event included engaging directly with our local educators, for instance the University of Chichester or your nearest college, getting involved with the Kickstart programme, and researching the traineeship scheme, which is another government-backed way of offering a young person training and employment.
“If your business is missing a particular skill, you can look into the new Bootcamp scheme where employers can build their own intensive training courses to bring new employees up to speed. We urge businesses to think about offering flexible positions, and to think creatively about transferable skills that could be included in their next job advertisement. This will open up roles to promising local candidates that could otherwise be excluded from the recruitment process.”
For more information visit: https://www.thelettingpartnership.co.uk/
photo : Apprentices (from left Jake Millie and Chloe)