Are Apprenticeships Worth It?

Apprenticeships cost money. There are fees to be paid. A level 3 apprenticeship (equivalent to A Levels) in England, for healthcare support workers, for example, costs ￡9,000 per apprentice. But employer costs don’t stop there. Apprentices are paid a salary. Apprentices need support whilst they learn in the workplace. Their work needs covering when they are in the classroom. There is no Tariff to compensate NHS employers for this. It all adds up, (although given that apprenticeship fees are covered by the Apprenticeship Levy, which is incurred by employers whether they run one or not then you could argue that fees at least are not a “new money” cost). For employers apprenticeships are an investment, but is that investment worth it?

Over the years I have modelled the cost-benefit of NHS apprenticeships at various educational levels. Whilst, as set out above, there are costs, there are also benefits. These are-

1. Apprentices while they are in the workplace make a contribution to care. When I recently evaluated the Registered Midwifery Degree Apprenticeship for the Royal College of Midwives, for example, we found that the apprentices working as Maternity Support Workers were performing a wide range of (appropriately supervised and delegated) tasks such as observations and supporting breast feeding.
2. Research shows that employers delivering apprenticeships for their staff enjoy a range of wider benefits such as a more diverse, motivated and engaged workforce. Apprenticeships increase morale amongst all staff – not just those who are studying on an apprenticeship.
3. The good news is that the benefits last as long as the employee remains in their job, which, for apprentices, can be longer than other staff on average. Costs stop once the training does.

These benefits can be costed according to standard economic theory (see here for an explanation of the methodology) and the good news is that, yes, apprenticeships are worth it for employers. The actual impact will vary by actual apprenticeship but there is a net return, and costs are not as high as first appear.

Apprenticeships are also good news for employees and more generally. One thing I found from the midwifery evaluation was that the attrition rate of apprentices was substantially lower than for traditional students and that the apprentices planned to remain working in their host trust. Apprentices themselves enjoy a wage premium compared to equivalent employees who have not gone down the formal training route.

Of course, costs and benefits aside, training is a good thing in and of itself (if done well) and there is plenty of evidence of a return on investment from all sorts of work-based training. For many, though, apprenticeships are currently 'the only show in town'. One of the enduring [1] problems faced by the part of the NHS workforce I am concerned about (clinical support workers) has been their lack of access to occupationally relevant education. This has had implications for safety, job satisfaction, productivity, career progression, innovation, team working and much more. In most clinical areas apprenticeships have now plugged the gap. Despite the availability of apprenticeships too often, though, support workers are still not given the opportunity to train, and the most cited reason for that is “backfill”. This issue may well be addressed as the new government looks to reform the employment and skills landscape. Even if this isn’t the case, a long-term strategic consideration of apprenticeships by employers and their benefits would reassure them that the costs are worth it.

NOTE

[1] First identified in the Briggs Review of nursing in 1972 and still an issue.