Introducing Apprentify – injecting and developing new and existing sales talent, funded via the Apprenticeship levy for companies of all sizes.

It’s time to meet a new Sales Confidence partner. It’s a thrill to welcome Apprentify to the community. Let’s find out more about them.

One of the things I like best about leading Sales Confidence is being able to announce new partnerships with world-class organisations in and around the SaaS industry, especially ones that share my mission of elevating the profession of sales. Some of the brilliant partners we have onboard include Salesloft, Air Marketing and Venatrix. Today, there’s a new name to add to the list – Apprentify.

I’m excited to announce our new partnership with Apprentify, who have just in October been measured as OFSTED Outstanding, through Board Member Sam Field. After getting to know Sam and his business, it’s clear that there’s such a synergy between Apprentify and Sales Confidence. Linking up in this way is sure to bring significant benefits to you, the Sales Confidence community member, and bust every myth and preconception around what apprentices and apprenticeships are in a sales environment.

What is Apprentify?

Apprentify is in the business of training and education and offers 13 apprenticeship curriculums. It finds, recruits and trains, coaches and develops emerging talent - young people who want to learn the skills to succeed in today’s digital-first environment. Apprentify is rated Outstanding by OFSTED, putting it in the top 1.6% of providers. The government launched apprenticeships (in England only) in 2017 to help bridge the digital skills gap.?

However, Apprentify isn’t just there for young people and graduates looking to build a career in sales. It also excels in helping employers invest in the development of their existing staff. Its sales, data, and business transformation/change apprenticeships, which are highly relevant to anyone in the SaaS industry, formalise the skills that set you up for a long and successful career in this business. When an employer selects an apprenticeship for their people (such as SDRs), it benefits the company almost as much as the apprentice in terms of retention, upskilling with end-point assessments and recognised qualifications, and the obvious financial incentives and benefits of signing up to an apprenticeship.

Apprentify started four years ago and has grown from 3 to 50+ people. HQ is in the North-West, but it has just landed in London with an office in Aldgate Tower. It already has an established team to service the London market.

Why apprenticeships?

If you’re an employer, investing in your people’s skills development is essential. Firstly, you want your people to be the best at what they do. Continuous learning is the best way to achieve this goal and learning and development has become number one motivator for sales staff since Covid.

There’s also the retention aspect. Right now, companies are crying out for talent, and employers are understandably worried about keeping hold of their best people. Investing in their development is the most effective way to show your people you value them and want them to have successful careers. It can also help you attract talent to your organisation. Many young people regard training and development as their number one motivator for joining and staying with a company, even more than salary.?

Apprenticeships are the best way to hit these targets. Firstly, it’s formal training, with recognised qualifications to university level, so you know they are going to learn the right things. Next, your people will appreciate that putting them on an apprenticeship is a big gesture. While it can’t lock them into your company, it comes close.?

Apprenticeships, whilst being great for grads, also offer you access to talent pools outside of university. Great for diversity and inclusion (and therefore innovation), Apprentify can attract candidates from all walks of life and those who maybe could not and decided not to get a degree, or maybe left uni during their course. Candidates from above channels really really value education and training/development.

Apprentify’s apprenticeships also serve as a management tool, offering the opportunity to take training out of your hands and acting as a training and coaching budget/resource you don’t have - as the government funds all or 95% of each of their courses. Apprentify gives all its apprentices their own dedicated skills coach. All learning is logged in a Learning Management System, so it’s all transparent, and all leaders are looped into the LMS and feedback/development calls. Finally, there are huge tax and national insurance benefits, plus government cash bonus opportunities to using apprenticeships. In today’s economic environment, it could make a big difference.

Meet Sam

It’s been great to get to know Sam as we’ve cemented this partnership. I can’t wait to get him down to a Sales Confidence live event soon.?

Like me, Sam has a background in sales and some of that within recruitment. He knows the industry extremely well. He told me that he has followed Sales Confidence from the beginning and has been waiting for the right time to join the community. I’m glad that the time has come.

Sam knows Elaine Tyler and the team at Venatrix very well and has seen the impact that partnering with Sales Confidence can make on your brand and how it strengthens your network. I hope our relationship with Apprentify will be as strong as it is with Venatrix.

Shared philosophy

What’s clear is that Sam and I have the same outlook on the sales industry. We both care very much about the future of the profession and want to give back, of course. But it goes deeper than that.

Apprenticeships help young people who may not have thought of sales/data/project managent as a career before, who may not have gone to university (although many do), or those who want to get started but don’t know how. They’re precisely the people we at Sales Confidence want to support too.

In addition, Apprentify has the same passion for promoting diversity and inclusion in sales. Currently, 60% of Apprentify applications come from women, which is a remarkable statistic to see.

Don’t miss the next Sales Confidence event

If you didn’t know, Sales Confidence now holds events online and in person. Don’t miss the unrivalled insights, networking and fun you only get at Sales Confidence.

Visit our events page to find out more and book your seat.

To find out more about Apprentify, visit apprentify.com.