BIFAlink
Industry Promotion
www.bifa.org
Tomorrow’s apprentices need you With skills shortages in many areas of the logistics sector, why not consider using apprenticeships to add talent to your workforce. They are not only great value but will add a new dynamic to your business. Here we provide a useful insight to how they work.
Non-levy payers only have to pay 5% of the cost to run the apprenticeship
Back in February, during National Apprenticeship Week (NAW2022), we held an online event for Members with apprenticeship expert James Billingham who kicked things off by dispelling a few myths. Myths • Apprenticeships are just for school / college leavers – FALSE! • They are just for people who underperformed at school – NOT TRUE! • They are just for new recruits – INCORRECT! • Apprentices will need to spend a lot of time away fromwork – FAKE NEWS! • Only big companies can afford to take on an apprentice – BUSTED! The basics Apprenticeships must last a specific time. For example, the International Freight Forwarding Specialist (IFFS) must last at least 18 months. During this time, the apprentice must spend 20% of his or her time off the job. Now, this does not have to be day release, but this type of learning must be relevant to the apprenticeship. There are many activities that can count towards this; the apprenticeship provider will be able to help you monitor this. All apprenticeships have key knowledge, skills and behaviours that apprentices must demonstrate. Towards the end of the apprenticeship, the learner must then go through an end-point assessment (EPA) with an independent company – again your apprenticeship provider will manage this. Business plan/considerations One of the fundamentals in making apprenticeships work is to get business buy-in; start planning early and make sure that
the line managers/mentors have time to spend with apprentices. If you can, take on more than one apprentice; that way they go on the journey together and share experiences along the way. It really helps. Make sure you recruit apprentices that suit the business needs. Ask yourself the following questions: • What is your staff retention rate? • What are your hardest-to-fill roles? • Are you clear on your commitment as an employer? • What would a job description look like? • Do you have the right staff to manage and support an apprentice? • What would success look like and how would it be measured? Also remember, that you could upskill existing staff via an apprenticeship. For example, they could do a degree apprenticeship and or development programme.
One of the fundamentals in making apprentice- ships work is to get business buy-in
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April 2022
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