Apprenticeships: top tips and benefits to the employer and apprentice

Ben Littlewood: Hello, and welcome to the Acas Podcast. I'm Ben Littlewood, an apprentice in the comms team at Acas. On this episode, we'll be looking at apprenticeships, what they entail and the benefits to both the apprentice and the employer. I'm joined by guests on both sides of the perspective to talk about their experience either as an apprentice or as an employer. Would you all like to introduce yourselves?

Garry Besford: Hello, my name is Garry Besford and I am the senior learning and development manager here at Acas. My main responsibilities are for leadership and management development, as well as looking after the apprenticeship programme across the Acas organisation.

Christine Adeusi: Hello, I'm Christine Adeusi, and I'm the communication support officer for Acas.

Damilola Aiyegbusi: Hi, my name is Damilola Aiyegbusi, and I'm the junior content producer for Acas.

Caroline Griffiths: Hi, I'm Caroline Griffiths, and I'm the content creator for the Central Arbitration Committee and Acas.

Ben: Lovely. Well, thank you all for joining us today. Let's start off with a question for Garry – what would be the main aim of an apprenticeship from both the employee's and the employer’s perspective?

Garry: So, from an employer's perspective, I think it's a really good opportunity to tap into some talent, which certainly as an organisation, you might not necessarily be aware that exists.

There's a lot of organisations out there who aren't aware that apprenticeships are a really good way of nurturing new talent, as well as people who are looking to change careers as well, and who will have a lot of those transferable soft skills that can match over to a new role within an organisation as well.

And in terms of the employee perspective, I think it's a fantastic opportunity for an individual, regardless of their background, or age or experience, to build up a collection of not only valuable work experience, but also develop that skill and knowledge and talent that they need to be successful in the future.

Whether or not they stay within their apprenticeship employer or they move on to bigger career aspirations, it's a really good platform to develop a career in a particular profession.

Ben: Absolutely. It seems like a good way to present opportunities to people that might not have gone for a particular type of role in the past.

Garry: Yeah, absolutely. I think it's one of those things where not a lot of people know that apprenticeships exist or indeed they believe that apprenticeships are for a particular kind of person.

For example, a school leaver or someone who didn't want to go down the academic route, but really they're open to everyone of all ages, backgrounds and experiences. And I think that's the beauty of an apprenticeship.

Ben: Absolutely. So, for the other apprentices, why did you initially apply for the apprenticeship that you're currently doing?

Christine: I joined Acas, straight from university. And I found myself leaving university having a lot of theory and a lot of knowledge, and a love for comms and media. That's what I did my degree in.

However, I was actually quite insecure about my abilities as an employee to add to an organisation or to a company and contribute. I felt like I had the theory side but I didn't really have the practical side.

And honestly, when the opportunity to do an apprenticeship came about, I took it and I really felt like that was my next step to gain practical experience in an environment and an organisation that knew that I wanted to learn and I still had a lot more to learn, and was willing to mentor me and guide me through the early stages of my career.

Caroline: For me, I think it was more about a doorway into a creative career. I did many admin jobs in the past but I studied advertising at university and I've always wanted to go into a creative career, but I was never really in a position to gain one of those positions based on my lack of experience.

So, this apprenticeship was great for me in terms of a stepping stone to gain and refine core skills in the creative field, but also to work amongst other creatives and build my connections.

Damilola: I will say I'm similar to Caroline as well. I have two degrees in filming and editing, and digital marketing. However, being able to get a job within that industry was a big struggle for me. I found that doing an apprenticeship will be helpful because in addition to getting a qualification, I'll be able to get the hands-on experience of working within a role.

And I feel like in my previous interviews, that was the main thing that was lacking. I had the knowledge but I didn't have the physical experience. So, I feel like this apprenticeship will be able to combine the best of both worlds and be able to put me on a good step on my career ladder.

Ben: Absolutely. For me, personally, I was looking to change the career I was in. So, an apprenticeship seemed like a very good way to be able to learn new skills that I was interested in while doing the job as well, getting that hands-on experience, like others have said. We all came from different paths, but we've come to do the same sort of apprenticeship course.

And then a follow up to that for the apprentices would be: what do you hope to gain from the course and your apprenticeship?

Damilola: I think, for me, what I aim to gain the most is just confidence. Being able to work in a small team and being able to add value and have an understanding as to how different members of the team work and what their role comprises.

I just want to be able to go into any environment and just be able to add value, and feel comfortable and confident in whatever's going on.

Christine: Yeah, very similar to Dami, I think it's the confidence. I really would love to finish my apprenticeship with a lot more confidence in my abilities and my skills.

And also, where I'm so early on in my career, I really want to use this opportunity to kind of find out what I like and what I don't like. Hopefully, at the end of my apprenticeship, I would have tried different things or had the opportunity to learn myself a little bit more.

Caroline: Yeah, I'm more or less the same as Dami and Christine. I think for me, hands-on experience is valuable. And that is the main thing that I'm after.

Also, it's good to be able to understand how each job role contributes and adds value to each project, and being a part of that is for me invaluable.

Ben: Lovely. So, Gary, you mentioned previously that apprentices don't necessarily just come from being at school, they come from all different backgrounds, ages, that kind of thing. Would you say that there are any characteristics or qualities that make a good apprentice?

Garry: I think, as some of our fantastic apprentices have already mentioned, from the variety of backgrounds that everyone's come from. Any experience that you've had, any work or life experience will count towards your apprenticeship journey.

So often people forget that they've had life experiences, or those things like organisational skills, communication skills. Whether you've picked those up from school, like presentation skills, or you may be doing some volunteering work or be part of a social group where you might be looking after the cash for a local community group, or organising other volunteers as part of that.

These are really rich skills that you can bring and are very transferable to an apprenticeship programme as well. And I think a lot of individuals forget about their past experiences, especially if we've got these, what I would say in inverted commas, 'career change apprentices'.

I've got a couple within the HR [human resources] team at the moment who have had really successful careers in very different commercial environments and have decided that they want to explore a different route, and they've decided that they'd like to go into the HR profession. And an apprenticeship programme is the ideal way of bringing all that experience that they've had from previous roles from their background, and bringing that to a new profession, as well.

And that's underpinned by the qualification itself that they're studying so, not only are they going to get some rich experience to put on their CV. And whether they remain within the organisation or they move on, at the end of it they've got that experience but they've also got a qualification to demonstrate their capability and their desire to be successful within a particular profession, as well.

Ben: Yeah, I think that's really interesting. I think, especially in my personal case, when I started this role, because it's a completely new thing, you don't even think about your previous experiences and how they might help you. But I think it's something you realise over time, that can be a good strength to bring to the table.

And on the other side of that, Garry, from the employer’s point of view, are there any sorts of things that you would say are expected from an apprentice when they start or throughout their course and journey with the organisation?

Garry: I think obviously that dedication is really important as well as showing that commitment, because it's a two-way relationship, isn't it? As the organisation we're saying, we believe in you as an apprentice, as a member of our team, and we want to provide these developmental opportunities for you.

But equally, you have to meet us halfway, and you have to show that dedication. It's not an easy programme, I would say, I'm not going to sugarcoat it, there's a lot of work involved. But that work is very rewarding at the end, which I'm sure our current apprentices will agree with.

It's a sort of balancing act, I think, certainly in the beginning, if you're new to studying, and trying to balance that with the work experience side, but the two do go hand in hand together. So, the apprenticeship side is very practical and hands on and you are assessed based on what you do in the workplace as well. So, I think that the expectation from an apprentice is that they put that dedication in.

Ben: Seems reasonable, and it's good to hear that from the other side, to hear the employer's perspective on it as an apprentice as well.

Garry: I think it works in our favour, doesn't it? Whatever we do to invest in our apprentices, then we reap that reward tenfold. When we have an excellent member of staff, we've got our future talent ready to go.

And obviously, then we can start working with them in terms of what's next, once they've completed their apprenticeship, it's not the end of that journey. And hopefully, we want to retain that talent for a long time and develop them further as well.

Ben: Linking to Garry's answer there previously about the previous life experience and skills as apprentices, what would you guys say that you bring to this job role from when you started that you've had from previous experiences?

Caroline: I would say for me, I've had so many different roles in the past few years, that the majority of my roles always include teamwork. So, I have developed really strong team working skills. And I've learned to value each member of the team and that I know that I can learn from every single person so that, for me, is very beneficial.

I think also communicating, the value of communication is key. And just learning how different people give and receive information is important so that you have a cohesive team working environment. Also, being a good listener, I think that's essential for any team member – for any individual, actually.

So, I think those are my main skills that I would say I bring; listening, communicating but also being a team player, showing up when you say you're going to show up and meeting those deadlines, just valuing people.

Christine: Yeah, I agree with what Caroline says. And I think it also goes back for me to what Garry mentioned about an apprenticeship being hard. And it really is quite difficult. And that balancing of the learning aspect and the day job and wearing those two hats can be quite difficult to do.

And I think when I came from university – and obviously in university you have deadlines and different subjects and different modules that you have to juggle – I feel like I was able to pull from that university experience and put it into my apprenticeship, and really be able to master time management. I think that definitely a skill that I think I would definitely leave this apprenticeship with is better time management.

Damilola: I'll say being flexible, being able to be a 'yes person'. And I think it was my years in retail that taught me that anything could happen at any moment, and you must be on your feet. So, bringing that into my apprenticeship with Acas, if there are any tasks that they want me to do and I haven't done them before, I'm going in with the eyesight of okay, this is new but it's going to be okay at the end of the day. So, just my flexibility and my ability to say 'yes'.

Ben: Absolutely. I think it's interesting that everyone's got similar but different skills that they bring to the table or contribute very much to the apprenticeship and the role.

I think for me, personally, I would say I'm similar to Caroline. I've worked in a lot of team-based jobs before, as opposed to something more, even though it is still in the comms team, but more creative producing things.

So that is something that - whether it's video, writing, infographics, anything like that - I'm learning as I go and I think that it's something that I need to improve on and pick up on.

Would there be anything as apprentices that you guys would say you'd like to work on, or you feel like you would like to improve on within yourself?

Damilola: Yeah, I will say, similar to Christine, just being able to manage my own projects and communicate because I have a vision as to what I want to do as a career. So being able to communicate what I want to do now and see if I can manage those projects myself and just be handed responsibility because I know that will be invaluable when it comes to the next step.

So, I've seen that I've been able to manage my own projects. I think that will be something that I want to achieve as well.

Caroline: I want to do everything. I want to refine all my skills. I feel like I can always improve every single area. And I think it's very important to be enthusiastic and have a positive mental attitude whenever faced with any project, even if you're fearful about not having the experience or the expertise. I feel like this is the perfect platform for me and for all of us really, to just give it a go – make those mistakes and learn from them with guidance and support from our managers and our team members. So I want to be more hands-on, I want to try things that I've never tried before, even if it scares me. I think even more so if it scares me!

Damilola: And I think what Caroline said that I found important was guidance. And I feel like when doing the apprenticeship, that there was a lot of guidance and a lot of space to make mistakes, and space to grow as well.

Also that encouragement from our managers is out there so I don't feel like I'm messing up massively because they're there to support you, and take you through the next steps and how to be better.

Ben: Absolutely. I think they're all great points. And in response to that, Garry, if there is something that an apprentice is struggling with or maybe if for example, they've fallen behind with anything, do you find that there's an effective way to motivate an apprentice or support them in particular?

Garry: Yeah, absolutely, we have a number of different support mechanisms as an organisation that we can provide for any apprentice. So, in terms of how it works within Acas, obviously, some of our apprentices have mentioned already that they'll have their line manager support.

There is also support from the learning provider. So, everyone will have a different learning provider dependent on what qualification they're doing and who's available in terms of a learning coach. So, it'll have that dedicated support from there as well.

And they, the management learning coach and the apprentice, tend to meet on a quarterly basis so, it's a really good opportunity to track that progress as well, but also to discuss any interventions if needed. So a manager could come to me or an apprentice could come to me, as the apprentice lead, and say, we've got a gap here or we've fallen behind a bit, is there anything that we can do? And we can look at putting any extra support in so there is a lot of support available really, and, and we can tailor that depending on individual circumstances as well.

As an employer we want the apprentice to thrive, and the apprenticeship programme to be a really enjoyable and positive experience, ultimately. So, we try and work with the apprentice, their manager and the learning provider to make sure that that happens.

Ben: Absolutely. I think it seems like there's a lot of different ways to support apprentices or anyone really, depending on what they need, because there's such a variety of things that might crop up.

Garry: Yeah, and equally, we don't just say you're an apprentice or you're in this box and you can only do these things. Just because they're an apprentice doesn't mean that they're not part of the wider organisation and they are very much included as part of the team that they belong to as well.

So, as part of my remit as being in the learning team, we have a lot of open learning courses where we actively encourage apprentices to attend. So for example, we've got a project management course coming up in the near future, which is fantastic opportunity for anyone really, to really hone their project management skills, whether they're new to project management, or if they've done it before but they want to do a little bit of a refresher.

It's a great way of adding value not only to the apprenticeship programme, but also adding in a new skill to their talent pool as well.

Ben: What do employers need to do on their part to ensure apprentices are having a positive and productive experience?

Garry: So, like I mentioned early on, it's a two-way relationship. So it is important that the employer does understand what their role is with the apprentice and the apprenticeship journey.

I think having a really solid onboarding and induction programme is really important to the success of that – making sure that the line manager of the apprentice is very clear on their remit and how they're going to support the individual as well who's undertaking the apprenticeship programme.

The role that the apprenticeship provider will play is important. So, we work with a lot of really good training providers who can provide any advice and guidance a line manager needs, in terms of how they support the apprentice on their journey as well.

And like all our apprentices have said, hopefully it will result in either securing a permanent opportunity within Acas, which would be great, or if none is available at that time, then obviously progressing and hopefully being seen as a real asset to an organisation that they go to because they've got that level of experience, the knowledge and the professional qualification behind them as well.

Ben: Absolutely. I think an apprenticeship in general is a good foundation to do that as well because you get both sides of it as we've discussed – the learning with the provider but also the hands-on experience on the job. So, I think that sets people up in good stead.

And this is a question to everybody. I don't mind who wants to start with the first answer but quite simply, what advice would you give to someone who wants to start an apprenticeship or is looking to start an apprenticeship?

Christine: So obviously, my aim is to improve the comms, the media, the digital marketing side, the day job. I want every work that I do to be of a high quality, but maybe on a more of a personal note, I want to improve on my independence.

Again, I think coming straight from university, I still have that student-teacher dynamic in my head, where obviously, when you're at school, your teachers give you assignments and give you work to do, and they tell you what you should do.

But obviously, I'm very grateful that now I'm working for an organisation that wants me to be creative, and wants me to put my ideas forward, and contribute and self-advocate. And I think I need to unlearn that my manager is not my teacher, the rest of the people on the comms team are not my teachers, and they want me to speak up, and they value my opinion and my ideas.

So, I think having that confidence to be independent, it's something that I definitely need to work on.

Garry: Yeah, absolutely, we have a number of different support mechanisms as an organisation that we can provide for any apprentice. So, in terms of how it works within Acas, obviously, some of our apprentices have mentioned already that they'll have their line manager support.

There is also support from the learning provider. So, everyone will have a different learning provider dependent on what qualification they're doing and who's available in terms of a learning coach. So, it'll have that dedicated support from there as well.

And they, the management learning coach and the apprentice, tend to meet on a quarterly basis so, it's a really good opportunity to track that progress as well, but also to discuss any interventions if needed. So a manager could come to me or an apprentice could come to me, as the apprentice lead, and say, we've got a gap here or we've fallen behind a bit, is there anything that we can do? And we can look at putting any extra support in so there is a lot of support available really, and, and we can tailor that depending on individual circumstances as well.

As an employer we want the apprentice to thrive, and the apprenticeship programme to be a really enjoyable and positive experience, ultimately. So, we try and work with the apprentice, their manager and the learning provider to make sure that that happens.

Ben: Absolutely. I think it seems like there's a lot of different ways to support apprentices or anyone really, depending on what they need, because there's such a variety of things that might crop up.

Garry: Yeah, and equally, we don't just say you're an apprentice or you're in this box and you can only do these things. Just because they're an apprentice doesn't mean that they're not part of the wider organisation and they are very much included as part of the team that they belong to as well.

So, as part of my remit as being in the learning team, we have a lot of open learning courses where we actively encourage apprentices to attend. So for example, we've got a project management course coming up in the near future, which is fantastic opportunity for anyone really, to really hone their project management skills, whether they're new to project management, or if they've done it before but they want to do a little bit of a refresher.

It's a great way of adding value not only to the apprenticeship programme, but also adding in a new skill to their talent pool as well.

Caroline: I would say don't let age be a barrier. Before I applied for this apprenticeship with the CAC and Acas, I always believed that apprenticeships were for people between the ages of 16 and 25 and after that I was under the impression that it wasn't an option. However, I soon realised through a friend that this was a myth and I realised that there were many apprenticeship positions for people of all ages, old and young. So it doesn't really matter what your history or background is, as long as you have an open mind and the willingness to learn, an apprenticeship can be such an invaluable experience.

I have learned so much in my short time here and I know that I will continue to improve my skills and expand my knowledge even more. So my advice to anyone who wants a career change and is looking to pivot and is probably worried about having a lack of experience, just go for it. Don't let age be a barrier, don't let anything stop you. Be open minded about everything, be keen to take part in projects, no matter how small they may be, and just keep pursuing what you want to do.

Christine: Yeah, I think my advice would be, firstly, communication. Don't ever suffer in silence – so, if there's something that you're struggling with, whether it's the day job or whether it's the learning aspect, be very vocal with your line manager or with your tutor, so they can adjust things accordingly. Also, communication with the other apprentices or anybody in the company – they know what you're going through.

And I think even with us, like with Dami, Ben and Caroline – I've really enjoyed being able to catch up with them and compare notes on their experience to see: are you going what I'm going through? Do you understand this? Do you understand that? And how are you finding things? So, I think communication is really key.

And, I think the whole advocating for yourself. Sometimes we will suffer with imposter syndrome but just know that even though you're an apprentice, you're a valued member of the team. They want you there, they know you're an apprentice, they know that you may make mistakes.

And if there's anything that you want to achieve while you're there, vocalise that to your team, and hopefully they can see about you getting that experience.

Damilola: For me, I would say, doing research. I find that there are quite a lot of apprenticeships that are out there, so many nuances to them. So just do your research as to what specifically, what areas you want to grow in, and then tailor that to the type of apprenticeship you want to go into because there are a lot of options out there.

Garry: I think, from my perspective, I would touch upon what Caroline just mentioned and don't be put off by the word apprentice or apprenticeship.

We’ve established through this discussion today that anyone can be an apprentice, regardless of their age, or the background or experience. You might have someone in their 30s, 40s, 50s, who decides that they want to either have a career change, or have decided eventually what career they want to settle on, and want to become more qualified in that area as well.

So, don't be put off by that at all. But also, like I mentioned earlier, think about your own past experiences, your life experience, your work experience, how that can really add value and enrich the role that you want to achieve. But also how you can add value to the organisation that you'd like to be a part of as well.

Ben: Yeah, amazing. I think that's all good advice and I would echo all of those points. And I think that seems like a good place to end things for the episode. So hopefully, people listening will find all this useful and inspiring, maybe to pursue an apprenticeship in the future.

Thank you to Caroline, Christine, Dami and Garry for joining me today, and giving some great insight to an apprenticeship from both sides of the perspective.

Damilola: Thank you.

Christine: Thank you, Ben.

Caroline: Thank you, Ben.

Garry: Thank you, Ben. Thank you, everyone.

Ben: This has been the Acas podcast. For more information on apprenticeships within Acas and in general, please visit our website at acas.org.uk.

All related links will be included in the episode notes. Thank you very much for listening.