Apprentices at Bruntwood continue to make an impact

As we reflect on another year of recruiting and developing brilliant and diverse apprentices, we’re celebrating National Apprenticeship Week (3rd - 9th February) and the fantastic impact all of our apprentices make to our business.

Since the apprenticeship reforms of 2017, we’ve taken full advantage of the scope and flexibility now offered by apprenticeships to increase opportunities and widen participation across different industries, ages and roles.

The theme this year is ‘look beyond’. And we’d certainly encourage anyone unsure about whether an apprenticeship might be for them to ‘look beyond’ what they think they know about how apprenticeships work and take a closer look at the successes.

Since 2017, 52 of our colleagues have embarked upon apprenticeships across 16 different disciplines. We’ve covered everything from plumbing and electrical engineering to CIMA finance and HR qualifications.

Nurturing future talent now

Our apprentices currently represent 4.5% of our colleague population. We believe the apprenticeship model of a real job from day one, access to quality training and dedicated support is a winning formula to be workplace ready as quickly as possible.

As a business, we’ve always had a strong culture of ‘growing our own’. Investing this time in our people is so important to us, the speed in which apprentices grow means that they will be highly capable in their roles by the time the apprenticeship ends. Apprentices are flexible and agile, constantly developing and adapting their skills, and that’s exactly what we need in our business now, and in the future.

Apprenticeships at all levels are an essential part of our business, allowing us to tap into the skills and talent available across our regions. 

How can you get involved?

Businesses of any size can take on apprentices, with benefits for everyone. You don’t need a team to make it happen and don’t be put off by what at first glance seems like a complicated process.

Since 2019, businesses who don’t contribute to the apprentice levy now only pay 5% of the training costs towards an apprenticeship. Take a degree apprenticeship for example, this will cost just 5% of the cost of a degree. For levy paying businesses, they pay into the fund that can only be used on apprenticeships, so the full amount is paid in smaller installments over the life of the course.

Apprentice providers are also experts on how apprenticeships and funding works and are great for giving you advice. They will guide your business through the process step by step, so all you need to focus on is what skills your business needs for the future!