Take note of Lord Sugar and hire an apprentice

Mounting evidence shows that apprenticeship schemes are a viable option for contact centre recruitment.

With the recent rise in university tuition fees, a growing number of young people are putting apprenticeships as their first choice.

New data from research company ICM has shown that 54% of young people in England would choose to do an apprenticeship if one were available. The numbers of young people who would like to do an apprenticeship rises to 56% of those who are already university students and 66% of those who are already employed but receiving no training.

“The vast majority of young people are not lazy shirkers,” said Rachael Fidler, founder of apprenticeship-provider HTP Training. “They may lack confidence and they may appear awkward amongst working adults – but in most cases that’s just because work is different from school and no one has shown them the ropes yet.”

The research also revealed that apprenticeship schemes offer great opportunities for companies, as employers find apprentices 15% more employable than young people with other qualifications. In addition to this, there is a lower minimum wage for apprentices. This currently stands at £2.65 and helps to balance out the cost of teaching and support.

“We see lower attrition rates in the people who have come through as apprentices,” said CEO Iain McGregor, who runs an apprenticeship scheme at Office Response. “Training up an apprentice is time consuming,” he continued. “But it is definitely worth the effort, as you end up with a very grateful employee whose ‘buy in’ to your organisation is huge.”

Do you run an apprenticeship scheme in your contact centre?