01732 759725
VOX POP
44
...continued
Sarah Coates:
“We see apprentices as
a crucial channel for building our future.
Our priority is to give each apprentice a
dedicated coach and mentor to ensure
that they receive the attention and quality
time required and this means that we
unfortunately have to limit the number of
apprentices we take on to ensure that we
do not overstretch in this respect.”
Andrew Marchant:
“This is absolutely
why we have an apprenticeship
programme. In many cases we are
upskilling the apprentices beyond what
they need just for today, we are skilling
them for that future.”
PITR:
How do you balance
apprenticeships alongside
investment in other areas of
workforce training?
Louise Marshall:
“Apprenticeships
complement our other training
programmes. In fact we have employees
who are getting recognition for the role
they play in developing and mentoring
apprentices and have the time they
spend included in their own personal
development plans. We have seen that
working with these younger people is
having a two-way benefit, where we gain
a better understanding of the cultural
difference with different generations, which
helps us in other aspects of our business,
from the sales approach we take, through
to the type of customer support we offer
and the way we communicate with existing
and potential customers.”
Sandra Rogers:
“In terms of the way we
structure our investment, any investment in
apprenticeships is treated as additional to
any general business needs training.”
Sarah Coates:
“We have other external
avenues such as our intern programme, our
graduate scheme and new for next year,
under graduates which also bring vital
new skills to our business. We have a long
serving and loyal workforce so we also
invest in our people to build new skills and
develop existing skills.”
Andrew Marchant:
“Our Apprenticeship
Programme is just one facet of our
comprehensive talent development
strategy and fits very well with our
business direction and strategy.”
PITR:
In spring 2017 the way the
government funds apprenticeships
in England is changing. Larger
employers will be required to
contribute to a new apprenticeship
levy, and those that are too small to
pay it will have 90% of the costs of
training paid for by the state. Extra
support, worth £2,000 per trainee,
will also be available for employers
and training providers who take
on 16 to 18 year-old apprentices or
young care leavers. There have been
concerns expressed that this may
impose additional administrative red
tape on smaller firms and discourage
them from taking on apprentices
at all. What are your views? Will
this change the way you view
apprenticeships/prompt you to hire
or stop hiring?
Louise Marshall:
“We have been closely
following the introduction of the new
levy and whilst there is still some detail
to be fully understood, we will continue
with the approach we have started and
will continue to develop our apprentice
programme, for all the reasons above and
the benefits we can gain as a business.
“There will no doubt be an increase
in administration as a result of its
introduction, but we believe that for
companies like Brother UK who have
embraced apprenticeships, there could
be additional benefits. As well as raising
awareness of apprenticeships, if the
levy is used to develop new apprentice
programmes, then all businesses can
benefit from them, hopefully in subjects
where historically we have had some
challenges.
“In addition we believe that the new
levy will introduce some standards to
enable employers to tailor apprenticeships
to suit the roles they have available,
rather than always being through rigid
frameworks as they have in the past.”
Andrew Marchant,
Talent Development &
Programmes Manager,
Xerox Europe and
Great Britain
We have
employees
who are
getting
recognition
for the role
they play in
developing
and mentoring
apprentices
Sandra Rogers:
“The new government
funding methods will not change our view
on apprenticeships. Rather than focusing
on the costs or administrative resource
necessary to recruit apprentices, we
believe it is a good way to give back to the
communities in which we are based while
also recruiting the employees of the future
to help us to grow our skills as a company.
“It can be difficult to recruit the right
people with the right skill set combined
with a genuine desire to develop and grow
with our company, and apprenticeship
programmes offer us a great way to
identify young talent which is vital for our
continued growth.”
Sarah Coates:
“We see this as a
positive move forward, primarily because
it has again opened the debate about
apprentices. It will not impact on our
current programmes as we already spend
over and above the levy that will be
charged to our company.”
Andrew Marchant:
“It is still too early to
know the full impact of the levy as some
key details are still being worked on. We
remain committed to our apprenticeship
programme, moreover as larger employers,
such as Xerox, will have to pay the
levy regardless of whether they have
apprentices, it actually makes commercial
sense to have apprentices.”
.
co.uk
