We asked employers and apprentices who work with The Point at Kidderminster College their views on hiring apprentices for National Apprenticeship week 2023.
The employer
‘Our business is founded upon being that helping hand in a time of need. We are always prepared to go that extra mile for our clients, a philosophy we have stood by throughout our expansion. In finding our niche we focussed on reliability – being the most versatile, multifaceted FM company on the market’.
Why do you hire apprentices?
At Phosters, we choose to hire apprentices because we have experienced for a long time the benefits they bring to the company. We started our apprenticeship journey almost 10 years ago when our Head Office relocated to Kidderminster, and we wanted to find a way to invest in the local community whilst expanding and upskilling our workforce. Choosing apprenticeships as a form of recruitment allows us to bring on individuals who are motivated to learn new skills and enable us to adapt their training and job duties according to the needs of the business.
How has hiring apprentices benefited your business?
Apprentices bring many benefits to our company, one of the main ones being reduced employee turnover. We have an extremely high retention rate of apprentices, who have now all moved into niche job roles, have moved on to further apprenticeships or are now sitting in senior positions of the business. Also, apprentices typically tend to be of a younger age, which means they may have a fresh perspective on certain processes and business factors. For example, Phosters is now having a big push on the use of social medial to drive company engagement online and this is being managed by one of our apprentices because they have the most experience in using the platforms.
Would you recommend hiring an apprentice?
As the apprenticeship mentor at Phosters, I would recommend any company to consider starting their apprenticeship journey. Apprentices can add a lot of value to your business, and I see first-hand the positive impact they have had and continue to have on the business. Our apprentices are hard-working, career driven and exhibit a real sense of loyalty towards the business. We are extremely proud of them all and can’t wait for them to continue shaping the future of Phosters!
