More than eight-out-of-10 (83%) apprentices said an apprenticeship had boosted their career prospects, according to one survey. A further seven-out-of-10 (72%) employers said apprenticeships had improved their product or service quality.
Angela Coleshill, director of employment, skills and corporate services at the Food and Drink Federation (FDF), said the surveys highlighted the importance that skilled apprentices can play to employers.
“As an industry, we recognise that growing our industry’s talent pool through apprenticeships is a key priority for food and drink manufacturers,” said Coleshill. “It offers a number of benefits including training an employee to your own business priorities, whilst also giving them the chance to gain necessary qualifications.”
Double the number of apprenticeships
Last year the food and drink manufacturing sector pledged to double the number of apprenticeships within food and drink manufacturing. But the sector managed to quadruple the number of apprenticeships on offer.
Coleshill cited a survey from sector skills council Improve, which revealed 80% of employers agreed that apprentices make their workforce more productive. “As well as bringing in talented young people with new ideas, an apprenticeship programme can greatly help succession planning as older employees retire and others leave the workforce,” she said.
Developing a skills pipeline to provide the food and drink manufacturing industry – with highly qualified and well trained employees – was key to the sector achieving its 20% growth target by 2020, added Coleshill.
Meanwhile, the BIS surveys also revealed that 78% of apprentices and 81% of business managers said they would recommend them to friends or other employers.
Recent data showed that more than half (54%) of young people in England would choose to do an apprenticeship if one were available.
Business secretary Vince Cable said the number of apprenticeships had soared by 80% in the past two years.
‘Stronger economy’
“Building a skilled workforce, partly through apprenticeships, will give employers the skills they need to build a stronger economy throughout the UK,” said Cable.
Skills minister Matthew Hancock said apprenticeships were becoming an increasingly attractive option for school leavers who want to forge a successful career by earning while they learn.
“This research shows why they are good news for both young people and employers,” said Hancock. “Whether they want to be a pilot, an accountant or even a space engineer, I would urge teenagers receiving their exam results to consider how an apprenticeship could help them achieve their career goals.”
The “new norm” should be that youngsters either go to university or into an apprenticeship, he added.
The full surveys canvassed the views of 4,000 employers of apprentices and 5,000 apprentices, with a follow up study of more than 4,000 apprentices who completed an apprenticeship up to four years ago.
Click on the image below for a larger version of the BIS infographic detailing the key ways apprenticeships deliver for employers and apprentices.