Why recruit a young Apprentice within Health and Social Organisations?
Apprenticeships can help businesses across all sectors by offering a route to harness fresh new talent.
UK businesses consider skills shortages and recruitment difficulties a bigger threat to performance than soaring oil prices and declining consumer spending, and more than a quarter of these rate this form of vocational training higher than any other qualification.
Apprenticeships ensure that your workforce has the practical skills and qualifications your organisation needs now and in the future. The mixture of on and off job learning ensures they learn the skills that work best for your business.
Over 130,000 workplace offer apprentice places because they understand the benefits that apprentices bring to their business – increased productivity, improved competitiveness and a committed and competent work-force.
Skills for Care the Sector Skills Council for Social Care is actively promoting and encouraging organisations to recruit apprentices. Many employers are reluctant to employ 16 - 18 year old young apprentices, however Skills for care and the Care Quality Commission are both supporting the recruitment drive.
Care Quality Commission (CQC) chief executive Cynthia Bower commented, "CQC supports the view of Skills for Care that 16 and 17 year olds can make a valuable contribution to the adult social care sector. It is vital that when working with this age group providers not only meet the essential standards of safety and quality but follow best practice guidelines and this guidance from Skills for Care is a welcome addition to that. This will help services to provide safe, quality care and deliver good outcomes for people."
Employing a young person
Many employers believe that they are not permitted to employ a person under 18 to support caring roles. This was correct following the previous Care Standards regulations, however following the Equality Act 2010 it is now unlawful to discriminate against employees, job seekers and trainees because of their age. Employers a required to ensure young apprentices are trained to the required standards and meet the essential standards of safety. Dynamic Training UK work with employers to ensure their young apprentice, has the knowledge, skills and competence to fulfil their role.
Through an accredited apprenticeship qualification at level 2 with observations in practice from a qualified, competent assessor and tutor the young person will have the support necessary to successfully complete their programme and begin an enjoyable and satisfying career in Health and Social Care.
Dynamic Training UK are flexible and creative in our delivery methods and will work with employers to ensure both the young person and the employers needs are met
Facts
Over 80% of those employers who employ apprentices agree they make their workplace more productive.
81% of consumers favour using a company which takes on apprentices.
The National Minimum Wage for apprentices is £2.60 per hour. Many employers prefer to pay more however, and research shows that the average salary is approx £170 per week.
Employers who take on a 16-18 year old apprentice only pay their salary. The Government will fund their training.
92% of employers who employ apprentices believe that Apprenticeships lead to a more motivated and satisfied workforce.
83% of employers who employ apprentices rely on their Apprenticeships programme to provide the skilled workers that they need for the future.
One in five employers are hiring more apprentices to help them through the tough economic climate.
Which Health and Social Care Organisation’s do we work with? 
- Domiciliary (home) Care
- Residential and Nursing Homes
- NHS Trusts, Hospitals, Community Services
- Local Authorities
- GP Practices
- Private Health and Social Care Specific employers
- Charities
Which work roles do we support?
- All Health Care Assistants working within bands 1- 4 of the NHS
- Support Workers
- All clerical and office support staff
What Apprenticeships do we offer?
- Clinical Health Support
- Health Care Support
- Allied Health Professional Support
- Maternity and Pediatrics Support
- Pathology Support
- Perioperative Support
How do we work with employers?
- We support employers to identify appropriate apprenticeship opportunities for young people
- We work closely with employers to create an apprenticeship training package specifically tailored to meet the apprentices role
- We provide flexible training through a blended learning approach to reduce time out of the workplace
- We support employers to recruit appropriate young people for their apprenticeship positions through linking with the National Apprenticeship Service
- We support employers to create progression pathways with training packages designed to suite their workforce development needs
- We provide advice and guidance to support the employer throughout the process
- We access Government Funding so the employer does not have to pay for the training.
What are the benefits to employers?
Improve your bottom line
Apprenticeships deliver real returns to your bottom line, with Apprenticeships helping them to improve productivity and to be more competitive. Training
apprentices can also be more cost effective than hiring skilled staff, leading to lower overall training and recruitment costs.
Fill your skills gaps
Apprenticeships deliver skills designed around your business needs providing the skilled workers you need for the future. They also help you develop the specialist skills you need to keep pace with the latest technology and working practices in your sector.
Motivate your workforce
Apprentices tend to be eager, motivated, flexible and loyal to the company that invested in them. Remember, an apprentice is with you because they want to be – they have made an active choice to learn on the job and a commitment to a specific career.
What do employers say?
Business leaders from a range of industries and backgrounds across England give their support for Apprenticeships and voice their ambition to help grow the number of places available.
Read what business leaders say about Apprenticeships »
R
eturn on Investment Calculator
The Return on Investment (ROI) calculator has been designed to help you understand the returns you can possibly gain on investing in Apprenticeships.
Drawing on research from the Warwick Institute for Employment Research (‘The Net Benefits to Employer Investment in Apprenticeship Training’ – November 2008) into the costs and benefits of Apprenticeships, the ROI calculator has been made available to help employers make the right decisions.
The ROI calculator estimates the average costs of employing and training an apprentice against the gains that come when their ‘additional productivity’ impacts on the business.
Benefits in numbers
Earlier research, conducted in February 2008 by Populus on behalf of the LSC to launch the first National Apprenticeship Week revealed:
- 77% of employers believe Apprenticeships make them more competitive;
- 76% say that Apprenticeships provide higher overall productivity;
- 80% feel that Apprenticeships reduce staff turnover;
- 83% of employers rely on their Apprenticeships programme to provide the skilled workers that they need for the future;
- Two-thirds of respondents believe that their Apprenticeship programme helps them fill vacancies more quickly, whilst
- 88% believe that Apprenticeships lead to a more motivated and satisfied workforce;
- 59% report that training apprentices is more cost-effective than hiring skilled staff, with 59% believing that Apprenticeships lead to lower overall training costs and 53% feeling that they reduce recruitment costs;
- In terms of the return on investment linked to Apprenticeships, 41% say that their apprentices make a valuable contribution to the business during their training period, while a further third (33%) report that apprentices add value within their first few weeks (or even from Day One);
- 57% report a high proportion of their apprentices going on to management positions within the company;
- Over three-quarters of respondents expect apprenticeships to play a bigger part in their recruitment policy in the future.
Further Research
A study carried out by the University of Warwick Institute for Employment Research (IER) demonstrated that Apprenticeships are an investme
nt by employers and where the investment is nurtured, the returns to the employer are significant.
Based on detailed employer case studies in seven sectors the study was commissioned and scrutinised by the business leaders who form the Apprenticeships Ambassador Network (AAN).
The study showed that the costs of training are quickly recouped upon completion of the Apprenticeships. Other benefits include; retention within the company, understanding of company values, and progression to become managers and supervisors.
Find out more about the IER research »
Public Sector Skills Challenge
It is not just the Private Sector who can benefit from taking on apprentices. Many public sector organisations could be taking advantage Apprenticeships, as a way of unlocking talent within their local communities and ensuring that they have a workforce equipped with the skills it needs for today and tomorrow.
We dispel the myths and provide a whole range of case studies of public sector organisations who have benefited from Apprenticeships.
Find out more about the Public Sector Skills Challenge » 
How is Dynamic Training UK supporting the Public Sector Challenge?
Dynamic Training UK is currently working with Heatherwood and Wexham Park NHS Trust, Berkshire Health Care Foundation Trust and Hillingdon Council to train young people within a variety of roles.
Please contact Dynamic Training UK for further information about how we can support your business now and in the future.
For further information please see the National Apprenticeship Service website