"Meh-pprenticeships"? Why?!

Are you, as an employer, delivering "Meh-pprenticeships" to your next generation employees?

Look at it, pragmatically. You are not going to grow your business - nor will you improve the quality of your service - if you don't challenge your workforce to move with exponential digital shifts in the way we deliver our work.

We all know that you need to engage, challenge and retain your next generation, future-thinking workforce...

...not merely to underchallenge your next crop of "Meh! Presentees".

It is because I want to both:

• Create Career and Social Mobility for professionalising people, locally and
• Help regional economies to improve by facilitating local and national employer growth and success

...that I find it so deeply unsettling to see in the latest Gov.uk data to see that there is still a massive preponderance of Business and administration apprenticeships being delivered and that this is paling the number of digital apprenticeships into relative insignificance - NB my highlights over the screenshot below:

This "Meh!" apprenticeships adoption trend applies not only to the career entry roles being offered to "Recruits", but also to the apprenticeship experiences being offer to already employed "Reskillers":

Considering alternatives for "Meh-pprenticeships" for your Newbie Recruits.

Now, first let me be clear. I am not saying that a newcomer in your office doesn't have administrative duties or customer service duties but I am also asking: Are you sure you are challenging your newbie recruits with the most strategically useful Apprenticeship Standard???!!!

Truly, honestly, is the intellectual stretch and challenge you want to offer to so, so many of your newbies ONLY in the business administration or customer service space?

If it is, so be it, enjoy!

But, can I suggest that, in addition to getting these guys doing the routine business support or customer service tasks which you already know you need from them in their everyday work, your organisation could ALSO profoundly and strategically benefit more from challenging, training and coaching those same newbie recruits within your company to help your organisation to get better at (some examples only and in no particular order):

• Lower order ICT with Cyber Security tasks: ie routinely supporting your basic IT Systems configuration and maintenance with attention to Cyber Essentials security considerations: https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/cyberessentials. Cyber security is NOT JUST for penetration testers, security engineers and risk analysts (which we can also help you with). Even your lower order ICT newbies guys will routinely configure your systems to massively minimise your security risks!
• Lower Order Data Technician/Analyst tasks: embracing data entry but also going beyond that to support you with essential automation tasks (using eg Microsoft Power Automate) and also responding to your requests for some useful interpretative data representation against your key business questions (using eg Microsoft Excel or PowerBI)
• Lower order Digital Support Tasks: practically helping, inspiring and requiring your existing employees to become more digitally confident in eg using the emergent AI tools, communication tools, the office suite of tools, the power platform suite of tools or digital productivity tools such as project planners, your own crm, etc.

I could give more examples of strategically exciting lower order career entry accountabilities (digital marketing, software systems development, business/productivity analytics, knowledge management and performance improvement, ...and more), ....but I think you already take my point?

Considering alternatives for "Meh-pprenticeships" for stretching, challenging, retaining and leveraging your most talented Employee Reskillers.

Again, let me be clear! Of course it is true that apprenticeships programmes are a fantastic mechanism for creating your next generation of team leaders, senior managers and strategic leaders. I completely agree that systematic coaching, mentoring and nurturing will accellerate the learning and development for your next generation of managers and leaders.

But are these standards always, always the best choice for retaining the workforce which will drive your future strategic growth? Or are you being unimaginitive, here?

It is also true, of course (!), that you will outsource IT tasks to external IT consultants. But, again, are you being unimaginitive here?

Surely, in these times of rapid and exponential digital shift, it is equally true that you need to leverage government-funded apprenticeship coaching and training to support and challenge some of the most intelligent people in your organisation to be seriously and systematically thinking about HOW you choose, challenge and manage those external consultants and internal team members to drive forwards the uniquely best-fit-for-you Digital and Technology Solutions and Digital Marketing strategies which will return the service quality edge and the market advantage which you know you will need to leverage against your own competitors?

Just saying....