In the apprenticeship sector many blogs are understandably focused on delivery staff and how best to make the switch from frameworks to standards. But… there have been equally radical changes for business development practice, managing employer expectations and spotting opportunities to engage new businesses to grow your apprenticeship numbers.
Asking for employer contributions, articulating the value of your training, engaging decision makers at levy paying businesses and encouraging employers to truly commit to an apprenticeship programme are all skills that have changed since the introduction of the apprenticeship reforms.
So… to support your employer engagement practice, we have pulled together key insight from our library of content over the last 12 months. These articles draw on our work with 1,000 apprenticeship organisations, employers and sector skills councils, and help your organisation meet, and surpass, employer expectations…
Initial employer engagement
- What your business development team should know about apprenticeship standards, before engaging employers
- Do you have good answers for the kinds of questions levy-paying employers will ask about your apprenticeship provision?
- Can your business development team explain all the financial incentives including employer national insurance contributions?
Fostering employer support for apprentices
- How to encourage employers to motivate their apprentices to succeed
- The SDN produced employers’ apprenticeship toolkit lays out what small businesses should expect of training providers
- Get a refresher of good practice with the SDN produced Future Apprenticeship Toolkit. Especially Sections 7-8 for employer engagement and communication
Levy-transfer opportunities
- Understand the opportunities levy-transfers provide for all training providers
- An example of a levy transfer allowing a training provider without a non-levy allocation to deliver to apprentices in a small business
Further support?
SDN offers employer engagement support to training providers that want:
- To identify which apprenticeships to deliver to meet future employer demand
- CPD training for business development staff to understand how employers tick
- A review of your marketing and sales channels from an employer perspective
Contact hello@strategicdevelopmentnetwork.co.uk in the first instance to register your interest.