Apprenticeships for Employers

What are FSC Apprenticeships?

The Apprenticeships provided by Future Strategies Consulting Ltd (FSC) are an ideal way to develop your existing or new employees and offer them a nationally recognised qualification. The Apprenticeship route offers your employees work-based training which can be specifically developed around the needs of your business.

What are the Apprenticeship routes?

FSC offers employers 2 Apprenticeship routes:

Work Based Apprenticeships if your learners are currently in employment and wanting to gain recognised qualifications in your sector.

Academy Centres if you are looking to recruit or offer a work placement to a young person aged 16-24. Our Academy Centres provide learners with a unique opportunity to fast track through their Academy learning by studying at one of our training facilities – which means that FSC can offer you as an employer a cost-effective solution to recruiting skilled staff.

What are the benefits of the Apprenticeship?

FSC Apprenticeship programmes can provide your business with a wealth of benefits, including:

• Up-skilling employees leading to improvements in productivity, quality of work, staff retention and employee satisfaction.
• An effective solution for succession planning, allowing business to combat any skills shortages and maintain competitiveness in the future.
• Equipping employees with the tools, skills and knowledge that they will need to do the job to help ensure that the quality of their work is of a consistently high standard.
• With improved productivity, less wastage, increased motivation, and lower staffing costs, Apprenticeships can offer significant efficiencies and cost savings within a business.
• Improve your recruitment of young people by making the job more appealing and showing clear development opportunities.
• Potentially providing the foundations for development for management roles and career progression.
• Providing employers with an ideal solution to supplement an ageing workforce and ensuring that skills are not lost.

Who’s eligible for an Apprenticeship?

The entry requirements for employees wanting to start an Apprenticeship are flexible. Apprenticeships are about learning practical skills and experience and not about academic ability.

In general, anyone wanting to start an Apprenticeship should be:

• Enthusiastic.
• Committed.
• Keen to learn new skills.
• Able to work as part as a team.
• Able to work on your own initiative.
• Aware of the commitment needed and the amount of work that will be required.
• Aware of their chosen career and what’s involved.

To study towards a Work-based Apprenticeship learners must be:

• 16 years or older.
• Living in England.
• Employed status.
• Not in full time education, or hold a degree level qualification.

To study at FSC’s Apprenticeship Academy learners must be:

• 16-24 years old.
• Living in England.
• Not in full time education.
• Not in full time employment.

To ensure that learners are suitable for FSC’s Apprenticeship Academy, a pre-selection interview will be required.

How long does it take?

FSC’s Apprenticeship programmes are designed to be flexible and fit around your business’s needs.

Our Apprenticeship programmes generally run over a 12-month period, whilst our Advanced Apprenticeship programmes run over an 18-month period.

FSC’s Apprenticeship Academy does offer young people aged between 16-24 the opportunity to fast track through their Apprenticeship training in a 5 month period.

How much does it cost?

FSC’s Apprenticeship programmes are fully subsided, so there is no financial outlay for the Apprenticeship training, which leaves you free to invest capital in other areas of your business.

If you choose to employ an apprentice, you will need to pay them a minimum of £95 per week whilst they are completing their training although many employers choose to pay more. So, with a relatively small financial investment, your workforce could gain increased productivity, skills and motivation, making an Apprenticeship programme an ideal solution for your business.

Helping you recruit

By working with FSC on our Apprenticeship or Apprenticeship Academy programmes you will receive support, advice and guidance on finding the right apprentice.

Our Placement Officers are dedicated to working with employers to develop an Apprenticeship programme that is ideal for their business, whilst providing support in advertising vacancies and offering work placements to our Academy learners. With over 100,000 employers in England currently taking on apprentices, now is an ideal time to start developing your organisation’s Apprenticeship strategy.

Vacancy Matching Service (VMS)

What is the Vacancy Matching Service?

The VMS is a free service offered by the National Apprenticeship Service (NAS), and is for anyone who is advertising or searching for an Apprenticeship vacancy.

How can it help you find an apprentice?

Registering the details of your vacancies on the (VMS) is the first step in finding an apprentice. Once the vacancy is registered on the VMS you will be able to:

• Access a vast database of interested candidates.
• Manage vacancy matching activities.
• Create a national profile of Apprenticeship opportunities.
• Receive regular updates about Apprenticeships.
• Creat a link to your own recruitment websites.
• Search, view and export applications in your own HR management systems.
• Manage and track the progress of applications.
• Access saved information and applications.

What Apprenticeship Programmes does FSC offer?

The Apprenticeship programmes we offer are:

Business and Administration

What’s involved?

An Apprenticeship in Business and Administration is designed to cover a wide range of office-based roles within private, public, and non-profit sectors which include Personal Assistants, Secretaries, Administration Assistants, Data Entry Clerks and Office Juniors.

Business Administration is essential for any business. Effective handling of day-to-day office tasks provides a platform for business operations to run smoothly and efficiently. Job duties and responsibilities will largely depend on the employer, but typical tasks may include typing, producing documents, filing and photocopying.

What will be gained?

Completing an Apprenticeship in Business and Administration will provide learners with a wealth of transferable skills and can provide a career progression route onto office management.

Customer Service

What’s involved?

An Apprenticeship in Customer Service is designed to cover a wide range of customer facing roles within private, public, and non-profit sectors which include Customer Service Agents, Customer Service Officers, Customer Relations Officers, Retail Assistant.

Customer Service is essential for any business as it ensures that the customer’s experience is positive and that they continue using the product or service offered. Customer Service Apprentices usually work at the front line of business operations, dealing with customers face-to-face or using telecommunications to provide them with support, advice and guidance or dealing with complaints.

What will be gained?

Completing an Apprenticeship in Customer Service will provide the learner with a wealth of transferable skills that can be used in virtually any industry, role or business.

Health and Social Care

What’s involved?

An Apprenticeship in Health and Social Care is designed to cover a wide range of roles in the public, private and voluntary Health and Social Care sectors which include Care Worker, Healthcare Assistant, Home Care Assistant, Nursing Assistant, and Support Services.

Health and Social Care is about providing a level of care and support to individuals that may increase their quality of life. This may include supporting individuals with disabilities, children or the elderly.

What will be gained?

Completing an Advanced Apprenticeship in Health and Social Care can provide learners with a progression route into Higher Education in subjects like nursing, midwifery, or care sector management.

Retail

What’s involved?

An Apprenticeship in Retail is designed to cover retail work in a wide range of businesses. This includes Sales Assistants, Customer Service Assistants, Stockroom Assistants, Team Leaders, Supervisors, Visual Merchandisers and Counter Assistants.

Retail operations cover a wide range of roles, from customer facing roles to stock handling to window and merchandise presentation. Job duties and responsibilities will largely depend on the employer, but the Apprenticeship programme will build on skills to develop the individual into a specialist.

What will be gained?

Completing an Apprenticeship in Retail will provide learners with a wealth of transferable skills, specialist knowledge, providing an early career progression route in the UK’s retail sector.

What Apprenticeship Levels are available?

FSC can offer two levels of Apprenticeships:

Apprenticeship – by studying for an Apprenticeship, learners can achieve a work-based learning NVQ at Level 2, Key Skills at Level 1, and a Technical Certificate. Apprenticeship qualifications are equivalent to five good GCSE passes, and provide learners with the skills needed for their chosen career and allow entry onto an Advanced Apprenticeship

Advanced Apprenticeship – by studying for an Advanced Apprenticeship, learners can achieve a work-based learning NVQ at Level 3, Key Skills at Level 2, and a Technical Certificate. Advanced Apprenticeship qualifications are equivalent to two A-Level passes, and provide learners with the skills needed for their chosen career and support progression into higher education.

For further information on Apprenticeship programmes and how they can work for your business contact us on 0191 2628029 or request a call back.