According to a recent government survey, apprentices are highly employable today – even more so than university graduates.<br />
<br />
The nature of the world’s workforce is changing, and employers are paying attention and modifying their recruitment and training schemes accordingly. Apprenticeship schemes are more popular than ever, and job candidates who have trained through this route are seen as being “more employable” than candidates with different experience, qualifications, and even degrees.<br />
<br />
<a href="ICMhttp://www.icmresearch.com/">ICM; Research conducted the study of over 500 companies on behalf of the government, looking at how employers rate apprentices’ skills and experience. For the most part, employers hold such skills and experience in very high regard.<br />
<br />
Overall, higher apprenticeship candidates were seen as 25% more employable than those who had not trained through such a scheme. Lower level apprenticeship candidates were found to be 15% more employable. Training through a higher apprenticeship could increase a young job candidate’s lifetime earnings by over £150,000.<br />
<br />
“We want apprenticeships or university to become the new norm for young people leaving school and higher apprenticeships are an excellent way to enter high-profile careers while also achieving a degree-level qualification,” explains skills minister Matthew Hancock.<br />
<br />
Apprenticeships are changing with the times to reflect the job market and the higher skills needed by employers. The engineering, science, and manufacturing sectors, for example, is predicted to need over 80,000 skilled employees within the next few years just to replace those workers who will be retiring.<br />
<br />
With more employers focusing on apprenticeship schemes, companies are dipping into wider candidate pools than ever before. <br />
<br />