Apprenticeships key to UK business expansion

According to research by the Skills Funding Agency, businesses place apprentices at the heart of their plans to rise to the top and claim recruiting the right people is an essential step to helping them grow.

The news comes as National Apprenticeship Week officially begins (14 March), launching with an event at London’s Shard to encourage more businesses to take on apprentices.

The research found that: eight in ten managers see apprentices as an important part of growing their business; new research shows the right people and skills are ten times more important to expansion than access to finance; apprentice employers are five times as likely to rapidly expand their business; and many major UK companies have commited to expanding their apprenticeship programme.

Commenting on the start of National Apprenticeship Week, Business Secretary Sajid Javid said: “I hope National Apprenticeship Week will inspire many more businesses across the country to commit to taking on an apprentice. Apprenticeships don’t just offer life changing opportunities to our young people, they also deliver for the bottom line. We are committed to three million apprenticeships by 2020 because apprenticeships are good for Britain.”

Throughout the week, employers of all sizes will unite to help demonstrate how apprenticeships can help them expand their businesses.