Respectfully National Apprentice WeekWe spoke with Anna Morrison, founder of great apprenticeA leading organization in the education sector, it works with schools, colleges and businesses of all sizes to tackle misconceptions and promote the benefits of apprenticeships.
departure
Against the family tradition of attending college, Anna plunged into the world of work with a temporary job as a college receptionist.
In a position funded by the Learning and Skills Council (LSC), Anna worked with training providers, employers and schools to talk about the power of apprenticeships. “Although the LSC was closed, I wanted to continue working with young people and employers to continue to raise awareness of the apprenticeship system and provide them with the information they needed,” she said.
Amazing Apprenticeships was born after winning a contract with the Ministry of Education to create a national model for the work she was doing. Eight years later, it has grown beyond all recognition.
Anna explains: She also works with employers of all sizes to understand the benefits of apprenticeships: how they work and how they can get started. ”
Amazing Apprenticeships is committed to ways employers can diversify their apprenticeship programs, with the key goal of creating greater social impact and creating opportunities for disadvantaged groups. She continued, “We are a small business, so we are also looking at how we can help other small businesses and what we can do to demystify apprenticeships.”
Addressing Misconceptions
When she started, Anna realized some misconceptions about apprenticeships. They have always been talked about as a last resort rather than a first option. ”
But times have changed. She elaborates: The introduction of apprenticeship standards meant the standards were much stricter and as a result the quality really improved. ”
Also, the range of apprenticeships has expanded. In fact, there are now over 600 different apprenticeship standards covering duties from animal handlers to sailors.
But challenges remain. Like all domestic businesses, Amazing Apprenticeships is dealing with uncertainty. It’s about how a potential recession will affect opportunities.
Small business support
So what’s good about apprenticeships for small businesses? According to Anna, it’s a great opportunity to bring in new talent that will benefit your business in unexpected ways.
“We know apprenticeships feel like a big investment, both financially and in terms of the time it takes to train someone. , can be shaped to develop the skills necessary for business, and their fresh perspectives can bring new ideas and solutions.
“It can also boost team morale. When the entire organization forms and develops apprentices, their success is even more rewarding for business people.”
Description of success
Anna, a longtime Xero user, said the platform was recommended by her accountant. Keelings & Jones HuntShe continues:
“We have worked with them for 10 years and they have always been very helpful mentors and helped us grow. We knew right away that this was the software for us, and it saved us a lot of time away from the manual system of payments and invoices we had in place at the beginning.”
what lies ahead
As for the immediate future of Amazing Apprenticeships, Anna and the team will be discussing the live version of genie programprovides webinars and other learning tools to help individuals in your organization understand complex social mobility, equality, diversity and inclusion issues.this is that first live eventtakes place in February at London’s stunning Foundling Museum.
Anna says: ”
Further in the future, Anna intends to incorporate more apprenticeships into her business. “We are hiring over the next few months and will lead by example,” she explains.
Finally, the team continues to create resources such as: “How to Recruit Your First Apprentice” A guide for employers to help businesses recruit and accept apprentices.
Anna concludes: