How to employ an apprentice

Taking on an apprentice is a fantastic way of boosting the skills of your workforce. Apprenticeships combine real work experience with relevant training. This results in motivated, qualified staff with highly relevant knowledge. If that sounds like something that would benefit your business, you should seriously consider offering a financial services apprenticeship.

Who can train as an apprentice?
More people are eligible for apprenticeship training than you might think. If there’s someone in your team who would make a good apprentice, you don’t even have to employ someone new! You can simply enrol them on a programme to get started.

There are just a few criteria that must be fulfilled by the candidate:

• Over the age of 16
• Living in England
• Not in full time education

If you’ve got someone in mind, you’re already ahead! However, if you’d like to hire a new candidate the process is very straightforward. In fact, the steps are similar whether you’re recruiting from within or finding fresh talent.

How to hire an apprentice?
Whether you are looking to put an existing employee through an apprenticeship or you want to employ someone in to a role, Simply Academy can help you with every step of the process. We specialise exclusively in training for the financial sector and are experienced in financial services apprenticeships, from selecting the perfect candidate and the right framework, to accessing funding and ultimately delivering the highest quality training.

What are my responsibilities?
It’s worth remembering that you, the employer has a few key responsibilities when it comes to employing an apprentice. In order for the apprenticeship to run smoothly and for you and your candidate to both get the most out of it, make sure you can fulfil these simple requirements:

• You must pay your apprentice at least the minimum wage.
• They must work alongside experienced staff in order to gain experience.
• The skills they learn must be job-specific.
• They need to study during the working week e.g. at a Simply Academy training venue/via e-learning.

It really is a very simple and effective way to add new talent, fresh ideas and real motivation to your team!

What’s the next step?
If you want to boost your business by adding an apprentice to your workforce, contact Simply Academy and we can guide you through the whole process. Whether you’re taking on someone new or recruiting from within your team, we can assist at each and every stage.