The demand for data and technology workers is higher than ever. It is getting more difficult for businesses to recruit professionals with the skills that they’re looking for, and even harder to retain them.
The war for talent
So, what is the war for talent? To begin, it’s a reality that employers are facing. It’s no longer just a concept, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to find qualified candidates to fill positions and then keep them within the business. Known by many as ‘The Great Resignation,’ which rocketed in early 2021, the number of people who are voluntarily leaving their employment is significantly increasing.
Within the data and technology industry, a big consequence of the Great Resignation has been the struggle for employee retention. A Go1 survey, reported by People Management, found that 60%, out of 2000 employees surveyed, left their workplace due to the lack of career prospects. Moreover, Randstad found that 75% of tech professionals who moved jobs within the last 12 months would feel confident about moving to a new job now. Employees are aware of the shortage of skills in the tech industry, and are willing to move on to better opportunities if they feel that there are no opportunities for advancement.
Apprenticeships offer a great way to get new and existing employees skilled quickly, while also saving your company money on training costs and keeping your employees happy. Let's look at some reasons why.
In-house training isn’t always the best option
In-house training can become much more expensive than you would first expect. Apprenticeships are cheaper to maintain, offer less risk for your business, and allow you to manage your workforce with ease.
There are a few key issues that you may face with in-house training:
You’re losing skilled workers on the job
In-house training means that you need to use and equip your own staff to help. Not only do you already need skilled workers in your company to be able to train others, but they could also be working on other projects. As a consequence, your organisation will be losing talent that can be used elsewhere.
In-house training requires trainers that are already skilled. Particularly within the data and technology industry, skilled workers are already hard to find. Your organisation may not be able to justify the lack of talent on other projects.
It can become more expensive
As well as the reduction of skilled employees on the job, you can put your organisation at further risk of struggling to retain your existing employees.
With the additional training duties, it’s expected that you will need to financially compensate your existing workers, as well as those who are being trained. If you’re unable to fairly compensate the trainers, this will lead to dissatisfied workers who will have minimal issues finding employment elsewhere.
As well as funding your employees, you will also need to ensure that you have all of the resources needed for in-house training. Again, this can be an expensive path to go down.
An apprenticeship is more practical than in-house training
Apprenticeship training programmes at Kaplan are designed by employers and experts within your industry. This follows a structured, high-quality training programme, which determines the duties, knowledge and skills that your employees can work towards.
With many of our programmes, there will be designated training days which will provide an environment for people to practice their newfound skills and knowledge. They can also immediately apply their learnings to the job from day one.
We use our specialist tutors, experts and resources to teach the knowledge. This means that you don’t need to lose existing skilled workers or funds for additional resources as a consequence.
Support is available
The tutors guiding the learners through the course are there to help. They want to support and guide them, making sure that they understand what they are learning, and offering any additional support when required.
At Kaplan, we also assign a Talent Coach to the learner to look after them through their programme to help them progress in achieving the required knowledge, skills and behaviours. Progress reviews are arranged at least every twelve weeks with the Talent Coach, the Line Manager and the learner. We will set targets and address any additional support needs to ensure that they get the best out of their programme.
Before starting the apprenticeship, all learners will also take a skills scan to ensure that they are entering a suitable training programme for their role, and so we can identify the individual starting point for every learner.
“Would you rather lose someone for six hours a week to make them a better employee, or lose them for good to another organisation?”
Apprenticeships are worth the time you lose
Would you rather lose someone for a few hours a week while they train and study to make them a better employee, or lose them for good to another organisation?
As an employer, you are able to place existing employees onto an apprenticeship, or you can hire someone new. The programme will include relevant and necessary classes to help your workers learn the skills and knowledge required to make them excel in the workplace, all while immediately applying it to their job roles.
This route means that you’re not losing existing, skilled employees to training others while you grow a much stronger workplace.
There are many funding options
Hiring and training an apprentice is a cost-effective way to bring more skills and knowledge to your business. If you’re a levy payer, you’ll already have the funds allocated to the apprentice programme. If not, you only need to pay a small percentage of the training costs.
Levy payers
Think about it this way: if you’re a levy payer, you’ve already paid for the apprenticeship. So, why wouldn’t you use your existing funds more wisely?
Employers can direct levy funds to approved training providers like Kaplan, which will help you to offer more opportunities and upskill your workplace. This significantly helps to benefit your business by boosting essential training and development.
Non-levy payers
If your organisation does not pay into the Apprenticeship Levy, you will only need to pay 5% of the cost of the programme. The UK government will cover the remaining 95%, which can be significantly cheaper than training in-house.
You can find out more information about the funding options by contacting the team.
Find new talent by diversifying your workplace
Apprenticeships can help you to find new talent in ways that you might not expect. Many aspiring professionals are unable to afford or find a place in higher education. The apprenticeship route does not always consist of assignments and exams. We will provide the practical knowledge needed that can then be applied at work.
This opens up many opportunities for those wanting a career in your industry of expertise, but are unable to go down the traditional university or higher education route, thus helping you find new talent within people who are determined to excel.
Employee satisfaction
One of the biggest benefits is that they will keep your employees satisfied. You can offer entry-level and existing employees a structured path to career development, while also keeping them engaged and motivated for longer periods. The proof is in the success rates. At Kaplan, our apprentices have a 96% retention rate for Data and Technology apprenticeships.
Employees are leaving their workplace because they are not getting invested in or being pushed to their full potential. With an apprenticeship, you’re ensuring that they can excel in their job role and develop existing and new skills. This is great for you because it lowers your turnover rate: you'll be able to retain top talent instead of having to replace them every few years. We can help you with hiring new talent, training them and retaining them.
“Our Data and Technology apprentices have a 96% retention rate”
We can provide the skills that you require
If you're looking to attract new talent, apprenticeships allow you to gain a deeper understanding of their skills and personality without requiring a hefty investment upfront. We will help train your existing employees to fill the skill gaps in your organisation so that they’re able to perform at their highest potential.
We have a wide range of Data and Technology apprenticeship programmes available, including:
- Data User (Level 3)
- Finance Data Technician (Level 3)
- Data Analyst (Level 4)
- Business Analyst
- Information Communications Technician (Level 3)
- DevOps Engineer (Level 4)
- Software Developer (Level 4)
- Game Programmer (Level 7)
Find out more about how you can upskill your workplace with our Data and Technology apprenticeships.