Apprenticeships
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Bosses reluctant to take on apprentices'
By Laura Hailstone
COST, TIME and the unclear benefits of taking on an apprentice are the main barriers preventing transport firms from investing in apprenticeships, a survey of SMEs has revealed.
According to the latest Close Brothers Business Barometer, transport bosses are split on the merits of apprenticeships, with 60% of the 169 firms surveyed less inclined to offer on-the-job training. Of those, 16% claimed that they were put off hiring an apprentice because they feared it would be too expensive, 28% were concerned about a lack of time to devote to training, and a further 7% were not
convinced that there are enough suitable candidates for apprenticeships.
"The very nature of the transport industry is fast moving, and so there are understandable reasons why some businesses are hesitant to invest their time and money in training an apprentice, as the benefits of apprenticeship schemes are not widely documented," said John Fawcett, MD of the transport division at Close Brothers Asset Finance.
He pointed out that apprenticeships can reduce the time and expense of recruiting, while contributing to "the overall performance of a business by offering an increase in competitiveness, a broadened talent pool and improved productivity".
"Often, apprentices are motivated to produce a higher standard of work to meet assessment targets, and feel a loyalty to the company that hired them because a clear career path is often outlined from the offset. Staff retention rates are usually improved as a result," he added.
Of the transport industry companies that were polled, 36% are participating in an apprenticeship scheme and, of these, 28% plan to offer their apprentices permanent posts when they have completed their training.
Evidence from the Centre for Economics and Business Research stated that over the next decade apprenticeship schemes will contribute £3.4bn a year to the economy.