Future-proof your talent pipeline with the skills you need

There’s long been a stigma around apprenticeships, with degrees and graduate schemes traditionally seen as the ideal route for high-potential talent. The macroeconomic climate is evolving quickly, however, and we’re seeing a gap between the education provided and the skills businesses really need – both now and for the years to come. As a result, “earn and learn” options, such as those offered by our Skills and Learning team, are seeing increased interest from both employers and candidates, which apprenticeships – as well as other opportunities to simultaneously work and study – play a vital role in.

Apprenticeship programmes can help solve the talent crisis

The introduction of the Apprenticeship Levy in 2017 has helped to give businesses the resources and the autonomy they need to grow talent from within, and tailor skills to the specific needs of their organisation. It’s also generating a significant amount of revenue, with every £1 in investment yielding £27 in financial returns for the taxpayer.

It’s clear, however, that many of the options currently open to employers – whether these are apprenticeships, bootcamps or graduate schemes – don’t individually offer the speed to value that they need to get candidates job-ready from day one.

Skills and Learning, however, creates paid job opportunities through custom-designed academies, training individuals with the specific and dynamic skillsets organisations need to deliver against their objectives. These academies empower employers to become flexible and transformative talent creators, while providing candidates with the best elements of different entry routes to work. Those participating in Skills and Learning Academy programmes will receive:

• A full salary and all other associated employee benefits
• On-the job training that sets them up to be confident for day one of the role
• High-quality learning and development, including support gaining industry-specific qualification

As a result, candidates are specifically equipped with the right skills to fulfil the niche requirements of their future employer, and organisations are able to gain the right people for their needs, with minimal hassle and maximum flexibility.

At a glance: how Skills and Learning can future-proof your workforce

• Increased workplace diversity
• Improved employee fit and staff retention
• Greater financial efficiency

Stripping back typical training provisions to focus on key strategic priorities, aiming to produce much-needed professionals in sectors where skills have been notoriously difficult to source. Clients, including healthcare providers such as BUPA and the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra), have already benefited from the flexibility and adaptability of their operating models.

How can Skills and Learning future-proof your workforce?

1. Increased workplace diversity

Apprenticeships were founded on a willingness to learn. When you remove traditional requirements and hire for attitude, skills and potential, you open up a network of undiscovered talent, who, for a variety of reasons, may be difficult to access or unable to pursue traditional learning and development routes.

The Skills and Learning operating model is designed to eliminate bias as much as possible – we don’t ask for CVs, and as part of our screening process we ask only three or four future-focused questions, none of which are based on previous work experience, but purely designed to assess someone’s core skills. Furthermore, answers are randomised and anonymised, allowing us to focus solely on whether they demonstrate the skills and values required for the role. The outcome of this process is applications from those with highly-diverse backgrounds and experiences.

2. Improved employee fit and staff retention

The agility of the Skills and Learning model means we can focus on the skills that are in demand here and now, and drawing funds from the Apprenticeship Levy enables us to dedicate a maximum level of resource to training, giving employers a far greater value output. A choice of open cohorts, which are in skills areas where several employers might be looking to hire, and closed cohorts, where highly-specific training is required for a single employer, also provide added flexibility.

However, one of the biggest pain points for organisations is not just acquiring the people who can make a positive impact from the beginning, but holding on to their value on a long-term basis. Our programmes are designed with retention in mind, and consultants are considered full-time employees from day one, meaning they receive full salaries along with holiday pay and all other associated benefits. Furthermore, those who complete the two-year programme are rewarded with a bonus of £10,000.

3. Greater financial efficiency

Every business is different. That’s why flexible, scalable apprenticeship models are required to match an organisation’s individual skills needs, specific processes and commercial position.

A partnership with Skills and Learning affords your organisation future-proof financial efficiency and reduces costs towards third parties and temporary resources. Instead of draining funding on costly, short-term recruitment services with no clear direction – we’ll help you map learning pathways to internal progression within your business, empowering your organisation to grow its own talent pipeline and fashion the future leaders it needs.