What are the Benefits to Your Business if You Hire an Apprentice?

Apprenticeships offer a wide range of benefits to businesses across every sector. By investing in apprenticeships, you will increase your employee satisfaction, improve your retention rates, and help your workforce develop their careers for the future, whilst also generating results for the business.

Over the years, lots of research has been done into the many benefits of offering apprenticeships in businesses; within one of these studies, it was noted that 92% of employers agreed that apprenticeships lead to a more satisfied and motivated workforce. Other findings suggest apprenticeships boost retention and improve culture.

If you are a business that is considering either hiring some apprentices this year, or enrolling existing staff onto an apprenticeship programme, it is important you understand all the benefits this can bring for you. So, let’s go over some of them here.

Filling skills gaps with tailored programmes

Offering apprenticeships to your workforce is a great way to fill any skills gaps you may have in your teams. For example, if your IT team is lacking skills within cloud security, our Level 4 Cyber Security programme can be used to upskill them. UA92 apprenticeships can be tailored to meet your specific business needs, meaning the learning undertaken by your employees will be directly beneficial to your business. In addition, your workforce will be future-proofed against any industry changes, helping to empower them within their role.

Fresh Talent and New Perspectives

If you are hiring new apprentices into your teams, this can bring innovative ideas and enthusiasm to your existing workforce. Your apprentices will be learning the most up-to-date knowledge in their programmes, meaning they will bring this back to your business and complement your team’s experience.

Cost-Effective Workforce Development

Government funding makes apprenticeships one of the most cost-effective ways to grow your talent internally or hire new. There are lots of different ways to access apprenticeship funding, the most popular one being through the Apprenticeship Levy. Levy payments are a great way of reducing your training costs and can even come at no cost at all to your business. Simply put, if you are a business that pays into the Levy, 100% of your training costs will be covered. Don’t worry though, if your business doesn’t pay into the Levy, the government will still pay 95% of your training costs, with the remaining 5% paid by your business.* If you’re wondering whether or not your business is eligible for this funding, we have more information on our funding page, or you can get in touch with our Apprenticeship team.

Increased Employee Loyalty

Statistics show that when you invest in your employees’ development, they are more likely to stay at your business for a prolonged period. This is down to the investment made in the individual and their feeling of commitment and loyalty to the business because of this. Building this amongst your staff creates a strong pipeline for the future leaders of your business.

Enhancing Employer Brand

Offering apprenticeships to your employees shows that you are committed to developing talent and supporting career growth and progression. For more than 10 years, lack of progression has been the top reason employees quit their jobs. By offering apprenticeships, you show your current employees that you are committed to their growth, but you also demonstrate this to potential future employees, making your business more attractive to those looking for their next opportunity.

Supporting Local Communities

Apprenticeships create a wide range of opportunities for young people and career changers in your local area. With the government announcing 50,000 new apprenticeships to help tackle youth unemployment, there will be more interest than ever from these groups. Your business will be seen as a socially responsible employer by offering these opportunities and being part of this growth plan.

There are so many fantastic benefits to apprenticeships, whether you are upskilling your staff or recruiting new talent. Whatever your circumstance may be, if you are interested in joining the apprenticeship revolution, our Apprenticeship team are on hand to help guide you through everything, from accessing your levy funding to picking the right course to suit your teams. For more information on how we can help you, please email apprenticeships@ua92.ac.uk, or book in a direct call with our team.

*starting in August 2025, SMEs will no longer have to pay the 5% contribution.