Are you struggling to find and retain skilled social care staff? Apprenticeships offer a cost-effective and powerful solution, providing businesses with the opportunity to develop a skilled workforce, boost productivity and enhance employee retention, all the while providing the best quality care and enhancing the company’s reputation.
In this article, Liam Tobin-Ward, Head of Quality and Compliance at FuturU, outlines the benefits of apprenticeships for social care organisations, as well as the things you’ll need to bear in mind.
Apprenticeship benefits for social care organisations
Bridging the skills gap
It’ll come as no surprise that one of the biggest advantages of apprenticeships for businesses, particularly those operating in the social care sector, is that you’ll be contributing to the growth and development of a much-needed workforce.
In 2024, Skills for Care released a report outlining the need to grow the social care workforce by 29% to keep up with population growth – that’s 540,000 new jobs. Apprenticeships are essential if we’re to meet that target.
Career development, staff happiness and retention
These three go hand-in-hand. Apprenticeships provide workers with career development opportunities not only tailored to their needs and aspirations, but to the requirements of their job and your organisation too.
Most apprentices work four days a week, then learn with their training provider for one day. This is ideal for those unable to commit to attending classes five days a week, or in the evenings and on weekends. They’re still earning a wage, doing what they love, and advancing their skills within their 9-5.
It’s a win-win situation – your employees feel fulfilled, motivated and happy, and you can grow a skilled and dedicated workforce, improving outcomes, boosting your reputation and demonstrating your commitment to your team’s development.
Incentives
It’s worth bearing in mind that the Government does offer support and funding to employers wanting to take on apprentices. In some cases, funding is available to cover up to 95% of the cost of training, but this figure will depend on your organisation and the apprenticeship standard you wish to offer.
You can learn more about the funding available, and factors to consider, at gov.uk.
Things to bear in mind
Commitment
While funding is available, it’s worth bearing in mind that apprenticeships aren’t commitment free!
Apprentices require support from their employer throughout the duration of their apprenticeship. This might include:
- Mentoring your apprentice, and holding frequent 1:1s
- Regularly reviewing an apprentice’s skills and progress against their training plan and KSBs (knowledge, skills and behaviours)
- Other administrative tasks outlined later in this article.
Thankfully, training providers and End-Point Assessment Organisations (EPAOs) are on hand to support you, and are using new systems to make these processes easier and stress-free.
Apprentices are expected to complete off-the-job training (OTJ) too. This usually happens during their regular working hours, and for a minimum of six hours per week (for a full-time apprentice). OTJ gives the apprentice time to focus and develop the skills, knowledge and behaviours they need to succeed. While there are different approaches to OTJ, it’s essential that you ensure it’s relevant to the apprenticeship.
Unpredictability
No two apprentices are the same. One might have more experience than another, and some might be entirely new to the social care sector. That’s why it’s crucial to complete a skills scan at the start, and use this as the foundation of the training plan.
Remember, equality is key. Not all apprentices will progress at the same pace. Be prepared to update their training plan as they grow in confidence, skills, knowledge and experience. There will come a time when they need less support and can work more independently.
Things won’t always go as planned, and that’s okay. Just remember that you’ll need to be flexible and adapt as needed.
Administrative tasks
Don’t forget the importance of timely administration. This can be split into two key areas; compliance and apprentice journey.
Compliance is essential to ensure you and your apprentice both stay on track. This includes offering the proper apprenticeship standard for your workforce, filling any skills gaps, and having the right training provider and EPAO ready when your apprentice starts.
If you plan to use the apprenticeship levy or Skills and Growth Levy, the second key area to consider is the apprentice journey throughout their studies. This includes signing documents to show the apprentice has reached a milestone, attending meetings with training providers, documenting the apprentice’s progress on training plans and, if applicable, completing assessments leading up to their End-Point Assessment (EPA). As the assessment nears, there will be more administrative tasks required to ensure the apprentice is prepared and ready.
Short-term decrease in productivity
When an apprentice starts, they’ll need to learn and observe a lot. How quickly they progress will depend on how well you teach them and who you’ve chosen as their mentor.
But remember, this is a short-term issue. Your apprentice will quickly pick up core and soft skills – like confidence, communication, and problem-solving. And once they’ve demonstrated their competence, you can give them more freedom.
Variations in cost
Apprentices get paid less initially (and pay will depend on the apprenticeship and how long it lasts), but in later years they’ll get at least the minimum wage. Understanding your apprentice’s needs and how much you can afford to pay them is essential.
Finding the best partners
An apprenticeship is a collaborative effort involving four key players; the apprentice, the employer, the training provider and the End-Point Assessment Organisation.
The training provider will provide the learning experience and knowledge, while the employer applies that knowledge in real-world settings, then offers constructive feedback and development. The EPAO is the independent organisation that conducts End-Point Assessments (EPAs).
Finding a training provider and EPAO that can work together with you and your apprentice is absolutely crucial.
Here at FuturU, we offer EPAs in social care apprenticeships from Levels 2 to 5, as well as business and leadership EPAs, like Business Administration, Team Leader, Operations or Departmental Manager and the new Operations Manager standard.
We take pride in our exceptional customer service, amazing assessors, and supportive quality assurance team. We understand that the assessment process can be intimidating for apprentices, so we do everything we can to support them, every step of the way.
Want to learn more about apprenticeships?
The Institute for Apprenticeships’ (IfATE) website is a great starting point for any organisation considering apprenticeships.
You can find training providers associated with each apprenticeship standard on the gov.uk site.
Finally, head over to the EPA section of our website to learn more about our approach to End-Point Assessments, and how we can support you and your team to succeed.
