Apprenticeships have been around for a very long time, but they have certainly come a long way since they first began. They are no longer confined to labour and crafts – you can now do an apprenticeship in pretty much anything, including marketing and human resources.
Plus, it’s not just young people starting out in the world of work that can take on an apprenticeship. You can do an apprenticeship at any point in your life – even if you are an existing employee.
Apprenticeships can be especially beneficial for parents that are ready to come back into the world of work. Perhaps they want to learn something totally new and change fields completely, or perhaps they just feel out of practice and would like a refresher before re-entering a career. Giving out some new employee welcome kit would always be great for your apprentice.
So, how do you support an apprentice and help them get the most out of their apprenticeship?
Set realistic goals
Goals are really important for anyone in work, but especially for someone new to the workforce. The first few months in a role can feel really overwhelming – particularly for a parent taking themselves into a totally new environment – but setting goals gives the individual little things to work towards and focus on. In turn, this also helps to build their confidence as they tick off their wins and move towards an end goal.
Make sure that any goals set are realistic. It’s a good idea to have a chat with your apprentice and get a feel for what their personal goals may be to help steer and personalise them. You should also make sure that they are aware of the natural next step within their apprenticeship, and also work this into their goals.
Offer career progression
Similarly, have open conversations with your apprentice about where they hope this apprenticeship will take them. If they currently work as part of a marketing team, do they hope one day to be a team manager? If they work in manufacturing, do they hope to improve their skills with programming with technology such as cobots?
Further down the line, if you are impressed with their performance and they fit well with your company values, you may be able to offer them a permanent role within the business. This can only be a good thing for all parties, as your apprentice will become all the more comfortable and confident within their role in the company, enhancing their performance.
Be a mentor
Whether an apprentice is new to the world of work or not, it’s important to remember that they may be feeling under confident in their new role. By being a supportive mentor, you can help your apprentice develop their approach to work, ensuring that they have a positive and professional outlook.
For parents especially, having a mentor can be particularly beneficial as the change in pace when coming back to work and spending time away from the family can prove to be emotional. They may also find it difficult juggling family life, work and studying. Having a mentor on hand to turn to and confide in within a new workplace is invaluable.
If you feel that your apprentice is struggling with their wellbeing and you are not sure how to help, you can signpost them to the Work Mental Health Support Service for Apprentices. Here they will be able to access emotional wellbeing support and advice, successful coping strategies and a step-by-step support plan to help them with this life change.
Integrate your apprentice with the wider team
Particularly if there are no other apprentices within your workplace, an apprentice may feel isolated when they first join your business. It is important to try and integrate them into the wider team through social enrichment networking opportunities.
Consider arranging an informal meet-and-greet session with your apprentice and the rest of the team at some point within their first week. Ensure that they not only meet other people within the team, but also the customers and any third-party companies that you work with regularly. Perhaps you could organise an evening outside of the office to allow the team to really relax and focus on socialising away from work.
Focus on setting your apprentice up for success within your company. Don’t think only about the benefits to business by having an apprentice on board, but think also about what your apprentice will be able to get from you and the business – especially if you see them being a long-term asset to the company in the future.