People 1st, with the support of industry partners, has launched a short survey to find out what can be done to help more SMEs to benefit from recruiting and retaining skilled apprentices.
The survey, which takes no more than five minutes to complete, asks businesses for their views on three topics;
- If they employ apprentices and, if so, how they feel about the recruitment process
- The barriers to employing apprentices
- How the process of employing and training an apprentice could be made simpler
ROI makes it worthwhile
Serena Von Der Heyde, owner of the Georgian House Hotel in Milton Keynes, said: “Employing apprentices requires patience and determination, but the return on investment definitely makes it worthwhile. It is extremely satisfying to see young people playing their part in driving your business forward.”
Apprentices improve the bottom line
Simon Tarr, Managing Director of People 1st, encourages small and medium businesses to be heard and take five minutes to complete the survey, explaining : “Our research repeatedly shows us that employing apprentices has such a positive impact on businesses. It’s a fantastic way to develop skilled and committed staff and there’s evidence that hospitality apprentices improve the bottom line by an impressive £5.2K.
“However, we know that a large proportion of hospitality businesses, including SMEs which represent 96% of industry employers, are not benefiting from apprenticeships.”
People 1st is acting on behalf of government recognised apprenticeship trailblazers in the sector including hospitality and travel, bringing together employers to develop new apprenticeship standards that set a benchmark for skills attainment. Tarr continued “We are working closely with government and our partners including the British Hospitality Association (BHA), the British Institute of Innkeeping (BII) and Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA) to encourage businesses that haven’t taken advantage of apprenticeships to tell us why, and that way we can ensure the right solutions are in place to help them.”
The consultation can be found here and closes on the 29th May.
For businesses interested in recruiting an apprentice, industry accredited providers offer a range of apprenticeships. More information and support can be found here