Destination Chesterfield

Did you know? Almost 9 out of every 10 apprenticeship employers that hope to achieve business benefits, report that apprenticeships deliver.

In fact, hiring an apprentice can bring a wealth of benefits to an organisation from improved productivity to improvements in the quality of their product or services.

What is an apprentice?

Apprentices are aged 16 or over and combine working with studying to gain skills and knowledge in a specific job.

Why hire an apprentice?

“Apprenticeships not only provide an important route into the workplace for young people, but they deliver a fresh source of ideas and help build the skill sets and talent local authorities will need for the future.” – Damon Bruce, Head of Customer Centric Services at arvato, Chesterfield 

“We believe strongly that apprenticeships help us to meet the vital need to bring new talent into the LPG market to continue to serve off-grid homes and businesses.”- Neill Cordon, HR Director at AvantiGas

“The enthusiasm, energy and dedication of the young people who we have trained, and are currently training with us, is very encouraging and serves as inspiration to all members of the pharmacy team.” – Martin Shepherd, Head of Medicines Management at Chesterfield Royal Hospital

You might want to consider recruiting an apprentice that has been made redundant. Apprentices who have been made redundant may already have the knowledge, skills and behaviours to add value to your organisation. Click here to find out more.

What will it cost us? 

You must pay an apprentice at least the minimum wage. However, you can get government funding to cover some of the cost of training and assessing an apprentice if you’re in England.

What would they do? 

An apprenticeship requires an apprentice to learn job-specific skills with experienced staff alongside study during the week. An apprentice, will regularly go to a college or training organisation one day a week to learn the theory behind the practical things they have worked on with you throughout the week.

How long does it last?

Apprenticeships must last for at least a year. They can last up to 5 years depending on the level the apprentice is studying – you can train an apprentices up to degree level.

What next? 

If you are interested in hiring an Apprentice, there a few steps you need to take.

• Choose an apprenticeships standard for an apprenticeship in your industry and at a suitable level.
• Find an organisation that offers training for the apprenticeship framework or standard you’ve chosen – there are many apprenticeship providers in Chesterfield.
• Check what apprenticeship funding is available 
• Advertise your apprenticeship – your training organisation will do this for you through the find an apprenticeship
• Select your apprentice and make an apprenticeship agreement and commitment statement with them.

Further Information

If you need any further information about the steps to hiring an apprentice please contact Emily Williams on 01246 959717 or email info@chesterfield.co.uk

You may be surprised that a number of local business leaders were also apprentices; hear about their experiences and why they support apprenticeships in Chesterfield.

Heard about the Apprenticeship Levy and not sure how that will affect your organisation then please click here to read more. We also have a guide to useful resources and information that may help you in your decision to hire an apprentice.