Skills for life: empowerment through apprenticeships.

Addressing workforce needs

Apprenticeships play a crucial role in addressing workforce needs by providing a pathway for individuals to develop the skills and knowledge required for specific industries, helping?bridge the gap between employer demands and the available workforce.

This year’s National Apprenticeship Week theme is “Skills for Life.” Aimed at encouraging employers to consider how apprenticeships can help individuals to develop the skills and knowledge required for a rewarding career, and to develop a workforce with skills ready for the future.

This week celebrates the interdependent relationship between employers and apprentices, highlighting the mutual benefits derived from nurturing enduring skills throughout one's professional journey.

Coinciding with the release of Randstad’s 2024 Workmonitor report , the appetite for upskilling and reskilling opportunities is also something that has been brought to light, with 72% ranking this as important when thinking about current or future employment.

Randstad’s 2024 Workmonitor report was compiled off the back of the views of 27,000 employees across 34 markets and is one of the largest studies of its kind in the world.

From an employer's perspective, investing in apprenticeships equates to investing in the future of their workforce. The theme of 'Skills for Life' emphasises how businesses can strategically cultivate a talent pipeline equipped with skills that go beyond immediate job requirements. Employers benefit from gaining entry to a pool of skilled and motivated individuals trained to meet industry needs, fostering a culture of innovation and adaptability within the organisation.

Additionally, apprenticeships play a role in bridging the skills gap, ensuring that businesses have a workforce with the necessary competencies to thrive in an increasingly competitive global economy.?

Future-proofing skills is non-negotiable for workers

With ONS figures continuing to show UK job vacancies outpace the number of people seeking work (with over 1.7 million active vacancies according to the REC’s Labour Market Tracker ), it has never been more important for business leaders to ensure the current and future workforce has the right skills.

For employers to give themselves the best chance of achieving lasting success, there is a prominent need to future-proof their business, and the best way to do that is through the workforce. The employees are the most important asset, so taking a proactive approach to developing skills and learning is of high importance.?

Currently, just under half (45%) of the UK’s employers are helping workers develop future-proof skills according to Workmonitor 2024 . A third (32%) of those surveyed also told us that they would not accept a job if it didn’t offer learning and development opportunities, further reinforcing its importance. A quarter admitted that they would even go as far as quitting a job if they weren't offered learning and development opportunities to future proof their skills (e.g. AI).

Nearly three-quarters of respondents said they value training and development, both in their current role and when considering future opportunities. Among different generations, Gen Z and Millennials were most outspoken about the value of training (77% and 78%, respectively).

While training and development opportunities are non-negotiable for today’s workforce, employers may need to reassess if adequate opportunities to upskill or reskill are available to all. An effective solution to help address the thirst for learning and development is through apprenticeship programmes , which are available across a range of specialisations.

Building change.

One of the key findings from this year’s Workmonitor report is that the theme of belonging continues to dominate what workers want, with many favouring employers whose opinions, values and worldviews reflect their own and who actively improve equity in the workplace.

“Change starts at the top, so executive buy in to “Skills for Life” is vital. Leaders can change the tone used within a company and create more open and equitable pathways to employment for all by ensuring they have an integrated apprenticeship strategy. Showcasing talent to the organisation, sharing their amazing stories, and showing off their results is a great way to encourage others to follow.” Jenny Taylor, UK Lead of Early Professional Programmes, IBM

Over a third of respondents say that they wouldn’t accept a job if they didn't agree with the views of the organisation’s leadership (37%). The same share seeks alignment on social and environmental issues with a future employer.

When asked to rank what workplace equity policies are most important to them, respondents put gender pay equity far ahead of all other equity, diversity, inclusion and belonging (EDI&B) initiatives and policies (63%).

Family leave for all employees ranked second, followed by the desire to be part of a diverse workforce. The latter should also be reflected at the highest level by a diverse leadership team and be outwardly visible through the company’s corporate social responsibility initiatives.

Investing in the future.

Many people may not be aware of the benefits and opportunities offered by apprenticeships. National Apprenticeship Week aims to raise awareness and change perceptions about alternative career pathways, emphasising that apprenticeships can lead to fulfilling and successful careers.

We’re pleased to share that we now offer end-to-end apprenticeship services - from scoping all the way through to enrolment. Our apprenticeship specialists aim to help tackle skills shortages by providing clients with a fully serviced programme, with access to a talent pool that you can build and shape.?

For more information on how to employ an apprentice or instruction on how to apply for an apprenticeship, see https://www.randstad.co.uk/apprenticeships/ ?

In other news.

The best of the best

Earlier this month we celebrated the Randstad ‘Best of the Best’ Awards.?

The awards recognise the incredible achievements of our outstanding teams within our business during 2023. For the awards we identified a number of individuals, who went above and beyond for our clients and candidates and celebrated at the Gherkin, in London. See the winners photos and congratulate them here .

In the media

• Victoria Short, Randstad UK&I’s Chief Executive, comments on the growing fear of job cuts?amid a challenging economic environment. Read the full article here .
• Almost nine in ten construction workers think that mental health support is important when choosing their next jobs, new findings from Randstad have revealed. Si Harris, our Senior Operations Director shares some insight and statistics to highlight the severity of the problem. Read the full article here .