Finding the right talent in a tight employment market can be difficult. In fact, the OECD Skills for Jobs database indicates that 26% of the UK workforce is underqualified for their occupation. In comparison, the average OECD country sits at 18%. As such, it’s no surprise that the UK utilities industry is struggling to source the skills it needs.
Utilities needs to upskill its employees, while also trying to fill the skills gap. In other words, it needs the people today– not tomorrow. Degree apprenticeships are a key way to help tackle this issue. These apprenticeships encourage people to earn while learning and give employees a degree qualification upon completion. They offer relevant on-the-job experience and give employees the confidence to tackle ongoing industry challenges and changes. It also allows businesses to invest in the talent they already have, helping them reach their full potential and keep pace with the industry’s ever-changing landscape.
But it’s fair to say that degree apprenticeships remain subject to some misconceptions, which has resulted in some organisations being hesitant about adopting them. In this article, Steven Hurst, Director of Corporate Learning at Arden University explores the common myths about degree apprenticeships.
Myth: They’re only for school leavers
One misconception is that degree apprenticeships are exclusively for young people, such as school leavers.
In fact, degree apprenticeships are a great way of onboarding or upskilling and retaining existing talent, with a national study showing that most employers believe degree apprenticeships are key to attracting talent and growing their business. As such, they’re great for midlife professionals, where upskilling can help them feel more engaged.
On top of this, offering degree apprenticeships is a good way to increase diversity levels within a business – especially within leadership teams. Degree apprenticeships can present opportunities for those from under-represented or less privileged backgrounds, enabling them to obtain a degree that they may not have had the opportunity to complete as a school leaver.
Myth: Generic education which won’t be relevant
Employers also often feel that the learning their employees will receive will be too generic and not relevant to their specific industry. However, the fact is that some educational institutions offer tailored degree apprenticeships, which tackle industry specific challenges for students to solve. For example, at Arden University, students are often given assessments that will help them in the sector they’re working in – making sure the theory is applicable to real life work.
As well as this, 95% of employers believe that degree apprenticeships enable achievement of their strategic goals – meaning that it can certainly help businesses in the utilities industry thrive.
Myth: They limit career progression
Some believe that apprenticeships lock you into one career path with no room for change. However, a good education institution will simultaneously be teaching employees increasingly important soft skills. Such transferable skills will offer opportunities to specialise or explore different roles within the industry in the future – this is exceptionally important for businesses as they can thrive from lateral hiring.
Myth: Employees will leave after graduation
Of course, when investing money into learning and development, you want it to not only help with employee retention, but you also want the knowledge learnt to help the business stay on top of trends and tackle ongoing industry challenges.
However, a primary concern for employers is that, once completing a degree apprenticeship, employees may choose to leave and continue their careers elsewhere.
However, evidence refutes this myth. Across all sectors, on average 61% of apprentices remain employed with the same firm after five years. Previous research has also found that companies that provide higher level apprenticeships are more likely to retain all their completer apprentices when compared with organisations offering lower levels.
As economic demands, marketplace trends, societal concerns and technological developments continue to shift, investing in learning and development solutions, such as degree apprenticeships, can really help businesses to grow and remain strong.
