Employers and Apprenticeships

Apprenticeships are good way for you to invest in the professional development of your staff, improve overall job satisfaction and staff morale. Through Apprenticeships, you can:

Increase competitiveness, productivity and morale

According to a survey conducted by the National Apprenticeship Service, Apprenticeships can deliver real returns on your bottom line, increasing competitiveness, raising productivity and reducing staff turnover.

Tackle skills shortages

Apprenticeships are a good way of tackling skills shortages in your organisation, allowing you train your staff to fill specialised roles that are difficult to recruit for as well as keeping them up to date with the latest technology and working practices. Through Apprenticeships, you can train your staff to work the way that you want them to, which ensures that your employees not only have the skills they need to be more effective but also that they are the best ‘fit’ for your organisation.

Motivate your workforce

Apprentices tend to be eager, motivated, flexible and loyal to the company that has 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.

Reduce recruitment training and costs

Because Apprentices are trained in the workplace, training them can be more cost-effective than hiring skilled staff and help to lower your overall training and recruitment costs. With full Government funding for Apprentice training for 16-18 year olds and some funding provision for Apprentices aged 19 and over, you will get the benefit of skilled workers without significant outlay.

We are here to help!

You can put forward your own Apprenticeship candidates from your existing staff members, or alternatively, we can recruit prospective Apprentices on your behalf through the national Apprenticeship Vacancy Matching Service.

We lead the largest consortium of colleges and training providers in Essex

We lead the NOVA Partnership for Apprenticeships and Skills, which comprises 13 colleges and training providers across Essex. It is currently the largest and most successful consortium in Essex and is consistently assessed well above the national average in every area. Ofsted deemed NOVA to be ‘Good with Outstanding features’ in all areas and has commented: "it is clear that opportunities for young learners have been enhanced by the existence of NOVA and that greater growth in provision in the local areas has resulted".

We work with National Skills Academies

We are members of the National Skills Academies (NSA) in Creative and Cultural, Financial Services and Retail. NSAs are national, government championed institutions led by industry in collaboration with colleges and other training providers.

Membership of these NSAs means that we are able to provide up-to-date and career-focused learning programmes for our Apprentices with the support of key industry sectors.

Don’t take our word for it!

We have a strong track record of success delivering Apprenticeship training, and feedback from both employers and Apprentices has been extremely positive.

If you are interested in taking on an Apprentice, contact us on 0845 52 12345 (or via email at: business@southessex.ac.uk) and ask to speak to the Business Development Team.