The Think Tank Apprentices
The Think Tank
Do we truly understand the apprenticeship experience?
Recent Government figures show that almost half of all Apprentices (47 per cent) are now dropping out of their course. So what is the answer to retain these talented youngsters?
According to a recent EDSK report by FE News, for many Apprentices a poor experience ‘in company’ is the main factor for them leaving their Apprenticeship, with employers cited as treating Apprentices as workers rather than learners. With an annual shortfall of over 186,000 young engineers every year, a shortage of skilled workers and an increase in the number of engineering firms looking to start or scale Apprenticeship schemes; it is vital that the engineering and manufacturing industry ‘gets Apprenticeships right’. But as a sector how can we better understand what factors contribute to a
great Apprentice experience? One where the Apprentices are not only retained but become evangelists to others in their age group to join them within the industry or in their company. That is the question that Next Gen Makers recently put to a group of Engineering Apprentices during a round table discussion at the Make UK Technology Hub in Aston, Birmingham. Apprentices involved represented companies including Veolia Water Technologies, Collins Aerospace, Severn Trent, Seco Tools and Ishida Europe. As you can imagine, it was a passionate discussion, from a diverse group that are keen to
“All Apprentices had the opportunity to rank what matters most to them from a choice of nine options, with regards to their experience as an Apprentice”
see more young people follow in their footsteps as the next generation of engineers. All Apprentices had the opportunity to rank what matters most to them from a choice of nine options, with regards to their experience as an Apprentice – with Next Gen Makers tallying up the responses for each to determine a ranked score. ‘Developing new skills’ was the most important element of their Apprenticeship, as voted for by the Apprentices. ‘Progression opportunities’ came second, followed by ‘Achievements being recognised’, which completed the top three. ‘Feeling valued’, ‘being able to visit other departments and learn other areas of the business’ and ‘getting on with co-workers’ were the fourth, fifth and sixth most important factors contributing to a great Apprentice
experience.
Finally, the three least important factors contributing to making a great Apprentice experience were ‘having a Mentor’ in seventh, ‘feeling included’ in eighth and ‘pay’, which came last as far as these Apprentices were concerned. That is not to say that these factors are unimportant, they were simply deemed less
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