The theme of National Apprenticeship Week 2020 is “Look Beyond”; encouraging everyone to look beyond some of the outdated stereotypes that have attached themselves to apprenticeships.

This includes debunking myths about the work apprentices do (they don’t just make tea for everyone else!), the qualifications they get (apprenticeships can go up to degree level qualifications in areas such as business & administration, health & science and legal & accounting), and the value of apprentices for employers (apprentices at Beaming prove themselves to be valuable team members both during and post-apprenticeship).

Apprentices are making an impact, making progress and making waves.

Making impact

Current Beaming apprentice Ted agrees that there are some false preconceptions about apprenticeships: “An apprenticeship can carry the stigma that you’re constantly making cups of tea and doing boring tasks others don’t want to do”, but this couldn’t be further from the truth, he tells us. “At Beaming I was straight away treated with respect and given challenging and thrilling tasks that quickly made me feel confident and valued. Working in a real workplace means that there is a wealth of information to learn from so it very quickly starts to feel like you’re making a real impact in helping customers and colleagues”

Making progress

From an employer’s point of view, apprentices don’t just add numbers to your team; they add skills. Each apprentice comes with their own set of competences, and the apprenticeship is designed to build upon these. Ted says “At Beaming, when you demonstrate confidence you’re encouraged and supported to go further which makes for fast learning of new skills.“

Previous apprentices at Beaming have stayed on and continue to develop their skills with us, taking on additional responsibilities and building their CVs. It gives us an extra sense of satisfaction when we see our graduate apprentices helping to train our current intake.

Making waves

Apprenticeships have certainly made waves at Beaming. We take our responsibility towards our apprentices seriously, and get plenty of support from our training partners, East Sussex College. In return, we get highly skilled team members who are loyal to the business and understand our values.

Ted started looking into apprenticeships because he enjoyed the responsibility of his part-time job, so we knew we were taking on someone that was keen to work: “Having a part-time job throughout college, I enjoyed working and the responsibilities which came with it, therefore the prospect of learning whilst working in a real workplace was incredibly exciting.”

We now look at apprenticeships as an integral part of our hiring and talent strategy.