Are apprenticeships in the built environment being undersold? That’s the view of Felicity Allerton, who looks after a cohort of building control apprentices at Socotec
With ten apprentices currently enrolled on degree-level apprenticeships in the built environment at UCEM, as well as a number of apprentices gaining qualifications in other specialisms, Socotec has plenty of experience from which to draw when analysing the benefits – particularly the cost benefits – of company apprenticeship schemes.
The apprenticeship levy, introduced in 2017, requires organisations with an annual pay bill of over £3m to contribute 0.5% to the apprenticeship service account.
As Felicity points out: “You have to pay into this levy pot, so why not draw down on those funds and actually use them?”
The cost benefits of hiring apprentices in the built environment
Expanding on the cost-benefits of running a company apprenticeship scheme, Felicity explains that young people embarking upon apprenticeships at the very start of their careers do not have the same salary expectations as more experienced professionals, yet they quickly become productive.
“Even the very young apprentices who come in at 18 years of age very quickly become an asset,” she says.
“They’re not necessarily direct fee earners, as we wouldn’t send them out to client meetings on their own straight away. But they do very quickly become productive in a financial sense, much more quickly than people might imagine.”
They’re not just productive in isolation, either.
“Not only are we bringing in these young enthusiastic people who just are like sponges, it has this knock-on effect in the teams that we place them within. Everybody has a part to play in their development. They will have a technical training supervisor, and that person will be a project manager with their own work to deliver, who has an attitude and willingness to pass on their knowledge and experience. And that then upskills them as well.”
Filling skills gaps through an apprenticeship programme also enables organisations to save money on recruitment costs – especially as apprenticeships in the built environment can be an attractive CPD option for existing, as well as new, staff, offering a way to progress from a general role within a business into a more specialised area.
This internal talent development approach fosters loyalty among employees. When an organisation is able to offer opportunities for professional development, employees are less likely to look for roles elsewhere. This, in turn, decreases staff turnover and its associated recruitment costs.
As Felicity points out: “Most larger companies have CSR targets around staff retention. I think that stakeholders within any business will look at those statistics, and if staff retention is not particularly good, they’ll start to question why. So yes, I think adding in a training piece can really help with that.”
Choosing the right provider
Felicity is very clear that the key to a successful apprenticeship programme is partnering with the right provider, and she speaks highly of the team at UCEM, with whom she has worked for the last five years.
“They’re so enthusiastic, and they truly believe in the service that they’re offering. They put so much thought into that support piece. Each apprentice has an Apprenticeship Outcomes Officer, who will meet with them and is in constant contact with them. And they link in with the business, so I’m always aware of what’s going on. It’s one of my favourite professional relationships.”
UCEM’s teaching is 100% online, which offers a great deal of flexibility both to the apprentices in the built environment (who are saving money and carbon on a commute) and to businesses, who do not need to disrupt their operations to accommodate their employees attending lectures in person at fixed times.
Apprentices: An asset to businesses of all sizes
Businesses that do not have an annual payroll bill of at least £3m do not pay the Apprenticeship Levy, but they can still draw from the aggregated funds to enrol their own apprentices: usually paying only a relatively small sum out of pocket.
Often, for small businesses, it’s logistical rather than financial considerations that get in the way of launching an apprenticeship scheme, especially if there is no HR or L&D department to run it.
A highly supportive apprenticeship provider is extremely important, as Felicity explains: “We used to be quite a small company ourselves [before being acquired by Socotec], and we couldn’t bring on lots of apprentices, but we were able to bring on one or two because we were supported.
“The collaboration with UCEM is brilliant, and they will support businesses to get set up on an apprenticeship programme as much as they can.”
Felicity believes collaboration between organisations could also help encourage businesses of all sizes to hire apprentices: “I’m sure I speak for lots of larger organisations when I say we would be willing to help the smaller ones. So if they can’t provide all the experience and tick off all the competencies that the apprentice needs, they only need to ask for some help.
I’m sure that larger companies would gladly have their apprentice for a week or provide some training materials. There’s always a way around it, particularly in the built environment sector. I think everybody is well aware of the skills shortage that we have, and I think everybody who’s in a training role wants to collaborate to help solve that problem.”
Felicity has one simple message for businesses interested in hiring apprentices but worried about the logistics or the time investment: “Apprentices very quickly see the time that’s being invested and are very appreciative. You get a lot back from them. A lot back.”
For more information on building control apprenticeships:
University College of Estate Management
01189214390
www.ucem.ac.uk/employer-apprenticeships
*Please note: This is a commercial profile.
