NATIONAL Apprenticeship Week was an opportunity to recognise the role apprentices play in helping businesses grow and their potential to address skills shortages.

Skills for Growth is a free initiative to help small and medium-sized enterprises build talent pipelines, increase productivity, help young talent thrive and close skills gaps.

Businesses benefit from the close relationship Skills for Growth has developed with local educators because they’re offered handpicked candidates that come with a personal reference.

Here are three reasons why you should consider hiring apprentices:

1. Businesses recruiting for entry-level roles often run into the same challenge: finding candidates who are work ready and equipped to deal with day-to-day operations.

Inexperienced young people entering the job market can learn day to day skills specific to your business that can’t be taught in a classroom, such as work behaviour and talking to clients. Plus, it saves on recruitment costs because you already have a capable candidate you can promote through your ranks.

2. Hiring new talent through an apprenticeship is a brilliant way to introduce new ideas to the business. Young people are often motivated and eager to learn and bring with them innovative ways of thinking.

Having a fresh perspective can help define new efficient ways of working which can increase productivity and revitalise company culture whilst being cost effective and providing development opportunities for other staff.

3. Apprenticeship programmes provide young people with a clear career pathway - indispensable in the job market and usually accompanied with support from a mentor in the business.

In return, motivated by the fact most apprentices will achieve valuable skills and work experience, it can encourage loyalty to the business, meaning apprentices are more likely to be committed to staying with your business and growing along with it.

If you’re a business on the lookout for your next superstar apprentice, Skills for Growth can help by connecting you to local schools, colleges and universities.

Sir Roger Marsh, chair of the Leeds City Region Enterprise Partnership and NP11 group of Northern local enterprise partnerships, said: “Skills for Growth is a fantastic programme to help you take on apprentices. With direct links to schools, colleges and universities, we’re able to find the perfect apprentice with the right attributes and soft skills you’re looking for. Apprentices can bring fresh ideas, motivation and enthusiasm and can learn the skills specifically needed by businesses. We’ve seen some real successes over the years, it’s no wonder 86% of employers said apprenticeships helped them develop skills relevant to their organisation.”

To learn more about how your business could benefit from an apprenticeship or the Skills for Growth programme, visit the-lep.com/skillsforgrowth.