Finding a way to get further training in your chosen career can be difficult, especially if you’re already employed. But did you know that it’s possible to train via an apprenticeship while working for your current employer?
You may be unsure about how to start the conversation with your employer but don’t worry, both yourself, your employer and the organisation will benefit from the extra training, so have a look at our tips on how to approach the topic.
Before addressing your training needs, it’s important to have as much information as possible. It will be helpful to:
- Find an apprenticeship standard that meets your role and your development requirements
- Understand the skills that you’ll be learning
- Know how this will positively impact your work, your team, your manager and the business
Help is at hand!
OxLEP Skills’ Oxfordshire Apprenticeship Advisers Leah Bryan and Nikki Cooper provide fully funded, expert, impartial advice to help employers with every aspect of apprenticeships. Ask your employer to get in touch at skills@oxfordshirelep.com.
How to bring apprenticeships up as a topic
If you’d like to have an official conversation with your employer, you could schedule a meeting and come prepared or bring it up during your regular 1:1 meetings or annual review. Remember – you are discussing your training needs and how it will develop your skills, but also make a note of how this benefits them as well as you. Why should they support it? What do they get out of it? What will you be able to do differently for your employer as a result of the apprenticeship? Do further research into what apprenticeship programme you’re interested in and pitch it almost as a business case.
You may prefer to pursue the topic less formally in conversation before asking to meet. For example, take a look at some of our case studies from other organisations that have benefited from apprenticeships which you can use for both a conversation starter and evidence in a formal meeting.
As well as speaking to your manager, you can also look into ways to contact the learning and development or HR department at your company. They should be able to advise of any existing and available apprenticeship training.
Benefit to employers
It’s known that it has become very difficult to find qualified professionals to fill positions and keep them within the organisation. So explaining to your employer that you would like further training can solve many of their problems. For example, they don’t need to struggle with hiring new people, they will gain qualified, skilled workers in the organisation and it doesn’t have to be expensive.
Support is available through an apprenticeship
If you are on an apprenticeship, there will be expert tutors guiding you to ensure that you learn all of the necessary skills, knowledge and behaviours to succeed in your career. For a business, this means that they do not need to take already qualified colleagues away from their day-to-day jobs to train existing colleagues.
Off-the-job training doesn’t have to mean that you’re not working
Managers can be reluctant to explore apprenticeship options as they require off-the-job training time of at least six hours a week, but that doesn’t mean that you won’t be working.
From a business perspective, they will be losing you temporarily for a few hours a week while you train to become a better, more skilled and experienced employee. The key to a healthy and happy organisation is for them to continue to motivate employees and support their needs. By doing this, you will be much more likely to stay within the company rather than seek opportunities elsewhere.
Think of it this way: would they rather lose you for a few hours a week, or lose you altogether? The apprenticeship route means that your manager isn’t losing hours from any existing employees to train you, or losing you to another workplace. Overall, the workplace will grow much stronger and happier.
There are funding options available
If you are introducing apprenticeships to your employer, you may not initially be aware of the funding options.
If they are paying into the apprenticeship levy:
If your organisation has an annual PAYE bill of more than £3 million, they will be paying the apprenticeship levy, so, why not make use of these existing funds to upskill you? If your organisation has unused levy funding then that could be going to waste, as any unused funding returns to the Treasury after two years.
If they are not paying into the apprenticeship levy:
If your employer does not pay the apprenticeship levy, the government will fund all apprenticeship training costs for apprentices who are 16–21 years old when they start training. The government will also fund training for apprentices who are 22–24 years old and have an education, health and care (EHC) plan from their local authority, or who have been in their local authority’s care (there is no upper age limit for doing an apprenticeship). This makes the apprenticeship route much cheaper than in-house training as they do not need to pay for existing workers to train you, or the equipment required for training.
Apprenticeship support for employers
If your employer would like some advice and support with setting up an apprenticeship for you, accessing the apprenticeship levy, or they have any questions, ask them to get in touch with our Oxfordshire Apprenticeship Advisers Leah Bryan and Nikki Cooper, who provide expert, impartial advice to help employers with every aspect of apprenticeships, at skills@oxfordshirelep.com. There is no charge for this support as it is funded through our Social Contract Programme through the government’s Contain Outbreak Management Fund, via Oxfordshire County Council.