6 Reasons To Hire An Apprentice
As it is National Apprenticeship Week 2023, social media is awash with all the great benefits of doing an apprenticeship and taking on an apprentice. So, we thought we’d include our thoughts on the matter too!!
Why should businesses take on an apprentice?
For us, there were many reasons to hire an apprentice:
Invest in local talent
Develop skills relevant to the business
Young people are motivated to learn new skills and bring a fresh perspective
Increase productivity almost immediately
Government funding makes it easier for small businesses to expand their workforce
Choose the apprentice that fits with your company culture
“We believe that to grow our local economy we need to invest in local talent. Creating opportunities for young people locally, through apprenticeships, is a great way for businesses of all sizes to develop their teams. Young people bring new ideas and fresh perspectives and quickly learn from experienced team members ‘on the job’. It’s important, even as a small business, that we add to the local talent pool and not just take from it.”
Meet our apprentice
Great2 recently hired Phoebe - a Creative Digital Design Degree apprentice to work within our Marketing department creating engaging designs for Great2 and our clients.
Phoebe has not disappointed. She has got stuck in from the word “go”. She manages her time between university work and the projects that she is working on at Great2. We have given her a range of design projects including social media design, videography and print media design that support the work we do but that also feed into her modules at university. We are encouraging her to get involved in as many work-related activities and training as possible to build up her experience.
Why choose to do an apprenticeship?
We asked Phoebe why she opted to do an apprenticeship and how she is finding it.
Why did you decide to go down the apprenticeship route?
I decided to go down the apprenticeship route because I knew I wanted to get hands-on and stuck into real-life projects as a member of the workforce. You also get to learn new skills, receive formal training and a degree qualification from a university. I think that getting involved in design projects within the workplace and liaising with colleagues and clients adds an extra dimension to my experience. I also get paid rather than having to pay tuition fees!!
How did you decide which Apprenticeship to do?
From college, I knew I wanted to do something creative. I studied Graphics, Photography and Media and really enjoyed all of these subjects. So, it was just finding the right apprenticeship with the right company.
The internet was my main source to find out about apprenticeships and looking into different courses that I could do. Also talking to different people about what they did after leaving college made me more set on doing an apprenticeship.
How are you finding your apprenticeship and managing work/study/life balance?
I really enjoy the apprenticeship as I can show my creative skills across a variety of projects, talk to new people from different companies and learn about what they do. As well as improving my design skills, I am also developing essential skills needed in the workplace. Having the responsibility for different projects while managing the university work at the same time has got me into a good work mentality. Great2 have been very supportive which is very important. It means I can enjoy the experience without a whole lot of stress.
Would you recommend doing an Apprenticeship? Why?
100% I would recommend it because it gives that real-life experience straight away. Doing an apprenticeship means you will learn a lot, your confidence will grow, you will be able to talk to clients and colleagues and work autonomously on your own projects. After 3 years, I will have a well-rounded skill set and a degree, making me a great candidate for career opportunities in the future. Another good benefit is you get paid to learn!!
If you are thinking of taking on an apprentice or doing an apprenticeship, the government website is a great starting point.
We would also be more than happy to give you advice and tips so please get in touch on enquiries@great2.co.uk. We’d love to hear from you.
