Are you going to hire an apprentice for the first time? If so, you may be wondering if Apprentice is right for your small business. After the pandemic, the world is getting back to normality and employers have more support than before. Today, they can hire the services of apprentices to grow their businesses.
The COVID-19 pandemic put all businesses on hold across the globe. So, there were virtually no investments and growth for more than 12 months. This is one of the main reasons why there have not been a lot of apprentices.
During the National Apprenticeship Week 2021, more than half of firms stated that they had postponed their plans to hire apprentices until they are assured of the future of their firms after the pandemic.
Due to the pandemic, it has become even more complicated to make decisions for employers. However, hiring apprentices can prove a game-changer for your business.
The million-dollar question is, how can you find out if an apprentice is suitable for your firm? If you have a small firm, you may not be sure of the benefits that you can enjoy by hiring an apprentice.
For young people, apprenticeships provider means to land their first job. For businesses, friendships are a way to recruit potential candidates. So, if you are looking for some talent, you can use this approach.
Before you decide on an apprentice, make sure you know the impact an apprentice can make on your firm and the way they can brighten their future. Given below is a list of some key benefits of hiring apprentices for your business:
If you want to hire a suitable apprentice for your business, we suggest that you follow the six steps given in this article. In fact, if you ignore these steps, you might end up making the wrong decision.
First of all, you should evaluate your existing workforce and workload, and then you should predict your future workload. After you have done your evaluation, you can decide on the kind of apprentice that can cover your needs.
This approach will give you a pretty good idea of whether you can retain your existing staff or hire the services of some talented apprentices. In other words, you may want to consider the skills and knowledge you require today and down the road.
After hiring an apprentice, you will be bound to pay them the national minimum wage for their services. If you want to find out the wage rate these days, you can go to Gov.uk.
Today, the national minimum hourly wage rate for apprentices between the age of 16 and 18 is £4.30. Over this age, the wage rate is the same during the first apprenticeship year. After the first year, apprentices may be paid the National Minimum Wage based on their age.
There are different levels of apprenticeships. Some of them offer entry-level qualifications, while others offer degree-level qualifications. In fact, there are more than 500 standards of apprenticeship. You may want to take your time and decide on the type of skills and level of training you want to offer.
If you want to train your apprentices, make sure you look for accredited training providers. These professionals will be responsible for helping your apprentices improve their skills and gain some on-the-job experience.
Plus, these trainers can help you throughout the process of hiring apprentices so we suggest that you hire the services of one as soon as you can.
As an employer, you will receive funding from the government to remunerate your apprentices. You will receive a grant of £1,000 for the apprentice you are going to hire between the age of 16 and 18 years, or if the apprentice is under 25 with a type of health care or education plan or they have been receiving care from their local authority.
Apart from the £1,000 grant, you will get an additional top-up of £3,000 for a fresh apprentice regardless of their age. So, you will receive a lot of incentives.
Honestly speaking, it can be complicated to figure out the total cost of hiring an apprentice. But calculating the costs is essential before you make a decision. You can use some online cost calculators to get started.
If you run a small business, you can enjoy a lot of benefits by hiring an apprentice. In fact, now is the best time to get started in this department.
Since you can receive additional incentives from the government, you can fill in the skill gap by hiring apprentices. And the good thing is that you can easily hire one. All you need to do is get in touch with potential candidates.
If you have made up your mind to hire potential apprentices, we can help you go on this adventure. As a small business owner, you can evaluate your needs, set a budget, consult a good trainer, and then run your advertisement campaigns to higher potential candidates.
With our professional advice, we can guide you throughout the process of hiring apprentices. So, the entire process will become a lot easier for you. You don’t have to worry about any phase of the recruitment process, as our professionals will help you get through each stage until you have hired the right candidate.