Apprenticeships are growing quickly and certain industries can definitely gain from them. We know the merits of enlisting one as a student, but what benefits do employers receive for taking on board somebody who has undertaken an apprenticeship already?
They have first-hand experience
Straight out of university or school, your average student may not have a wealth of experience working in a busy environment. Whilst they’re most likely still a great option, an apprentice will have already gained that valuable firm or agency time.
The foundations are in place
In a workspace where working with finance is critical, it’s useful to have an employee entering coming into your business with a detailed knowledge of exactly what tasks are being required of them before starting.
Students with accounting apprenticeships have already experienced a lot of the hard graft, with tasks like the balancing of accounts and completing VAT returns being something that they would have tackled during the course of their year or so in the industry.
Trust them
When it comes to dealing with people’s money, it is vital that you know you can trust the person you are taking on with the tasks they are being asked to carry out.
They want to work
While some find that accounting isn’t their calling when they go on to work after study, the ones who follow it up by seeking employment in the field have shown the desire to earn a living in the sector.
That go-getter attitude, coupled with what would appear to be a passion for accountancy itself, is without question a feature that should help an applicant stand out as someone who you would want to consider hiring in your business.
They could boost revenue
Companies who take on apprenticeships in the accounting arena are proven to find a boost in revenue as a direct result of bringing them in.
A report from 2014 by the Association of Accounting Technicians found that businesses who take on an apprentice find could see a revenue increase of as much as £2,000 per year, per apprentice employed.
The experts like them
In a study carried out by Babington – a group that specialises in business employment – hundreds of professionals were quizzed over their decision to hire apprentices, with the results speaking out in favour of doing so.
96% of the business professionals polled agreed that employing an apprentice was beneficial to their business, with 88% of them going on to say that it helped contribute to a happy and well-motivated working environment.
So, its important to remember that wherever you get your next accounting employee from, apprentices should be recognised as a great potential addition to your workforce.
