At Manchester Digital, we’re big advocates of apprenticeships. That's why we support National Apprenticeship Week's #LookBeyond campaign and proudly wear the Fired Up Badge.
You’d probably expect that seeing as we have been running our very own Level Four Software Development Apprenticeship for over 2 years.
So, why are we big fans of apprenticeship programmes?
- They encourage greater levels of diversity by widening the talent pool
- They allow industry to have a greater say in the skills being taught to trainees
- They offer apprentices unparalleled access to new skills and experiences.
Let’s hear from Scott Young from RedEye and Rebekah Sollom form Denstu Aegis Network as we find out why they back apprenticeship programmes
Tell us a little bit more about yourself
Scott - RedEye is a marketing tech business that has been established since 1997 and provides marketing automation, customer data platforms and predictive analytics.
Rebekah - We are a media and digital marketing agency called Dentsu Aegis Network, the third biggest group of agencies globally with employees worldwide.
Why do you think that it’s important to work with apprentices?
Scott -There were three reasons. The skills challenges in our industry are known and if you don't address them growth will stagnate. We didn’t want to rely on the market for growth so we thought we’d do something about it ourselves and develop a long term strategy to make sure we’re getting the skills we need to help us grow.
We also wanted to give people internally the opportunity to grow, an apprenticeship does that by allowing people to have management and mentorship opportunities they mightn’t otherwise have had.
Finally, our experience of apprentices has always been more positive than when we hire graduates. Reason being apprentices seem more committed to the business and their careers and seem to want to learn and develop and are better supported by the learning providers.
Rebekah - We pay for the levy so that was a big factor for us. We also look at it from a different angle, an opportunity to look outside the graduate market and try to grow and develop people that don’t have a degree.
Taking on apprenticeships also builds up our talent pipeline, if a trainee does well we’ll take them on.
What benefits has your business felt as a result of your decision?
Scot - The benefits are that they allow us to grow as a business and we’ve built teams around apprentices. We’ve promoted also apprentices into positions of responsibility. For example, our testing manager started with us at 16 and is still here 3 years later.
Also, we’ve discontinued our outsourced development services by using apprentices to help build in-house capabilities.
Rebekah - Diversity - it definitely adds more diverse talent into our entry-level positions. Our business now thinks of people that have not been to uni more than it used to. This is great as it brings different people and skill sets to our business.
Would you recommend hiring an apprentice to other businesses and if so why?
Scott -Yes, absolutely. I don’t see why you wouldn’t. There are the usual problems bout time and management but I recommend that you start. Even if you don’t pay the levy, apprentices make a huge difference. In a nutshell, the labour market isn’t producing the skills that we need so it is important for businesses to grow their own. As shown in the Manchester Digital Skills Audit, businesses are turning away work so we need to set aside objectives and take a leap of faith for the good of your business and the sector.
Rebekah - We definitely would. If businesses are looking to improve diversity and inclusion, then an apprenticeship is a great route. It can help the social mobility within your organisation and gives people without a degree a brilliant option to stand out and develop their skills and knowledge.
Also, from an HR perspective, it's easier to recruit apprentices. We usually find our apprentices through partners that have already put them through training and boot camps so we know that they will arrive at us as a polished and eager interviewee.
Want to find out more about apprenticeship?
If you would to find out more about Manchester Digital’s Level Four Software Developer Apprenticeship, you can find out here.
Alternatively, follow this link to see other apprentice providers within the region.
