It’s national apprenticeship week this week, from 6^th to 12^th February the nation celebrates, learns and has the opportunity to explore the world of apprenticeships.

At JR Personnel we take a look at what it means to be an apprentice and what it means for the recruitment industry.

There are so many perks to being an apprentice, not only for school leavers who don’t want to carry on with higher education and be burdened with the hefty debt, but for people later in life who are looking for a new career direction or vocation.

If you’re straight out of school and dread the thought of having to attend an educational setting again, apprenticeships are a fantastic way to learn new skills and have the security of working in an organisation where you can grow and progress. It’s also an excellent chance for employers to “home grow” their talent, saving potentially thousands of pounds on recruitment and training of new employees.

You might be thinking that apprenticeships are low paid and only temporary positions lasting 3-5 years and this has been proven to be a barrier when people are considering applying for apprenticeships. This isn’t correct, particularly with the UK (and the rest of the world) facing a huge skills shortage, companies are desperate to create a young work force with the right skill set to succeed, and keep them for a significant period of time, so think good salaries and lots of perks post training!