How exible apprenticeships could bene t your business – advice from HIT Training’s Jill Whittaker.

How flexible

apprenticeships could benefit your business

Jill Whittaker (pictured below), managing director at HIT Training, explores the value of apprenticeships in attracting and retaining talent.

RECRUITING AND RETAINING

After a tumultuous couple of years for restaurant operators, many continue to face significant staff shortages. Not only is it a challenge to recruit the right people with the right skills, but it’s also often hard to keep hold of them.

The Coronavirus pandemic has brought about lasting changes to how we look at work and what we expect from our jobs. Periods of significant stress have resulted in a cultural shift, as workers reflect on what work really means to them and how it fits into their life.

It’s more important than ever for hospitality managers to invest in their teams – retaining the talented individuals they have, while also offering clear career pathways that are attractive to people coming into their industry.

A big part of this is the provision of training, both for those new to the sector and to help existing employees to upskill and reskill. Not only will this investment go a long way to fostering job satisfaction and loyalty, it will also reap rewards in the greater efficiency created by improving the skills of your workforce.

Apprenticeships are one of the best ways for hospitality firms to provide continual learning for their teams, whether to progress existing staff or to quickly train new starters. And new flexible training models being explored by the government could present meaningful opportunities for operators and their employees in 2022.

How can flexible apprenticeship models benefit your business?

‘FRONT-LOADING’ OR ‘FLEXING’ YOUR TRAINING

Apprenticeships are often relied on to help unlock skills quickly and to allow motivated staff to fast-track into positions where they can provide real value. New flexible working patterns could make that process even faster.

Under plans for a new ‘front-loading’ approach, apprentices would be able to receive intensive off the job training before they begin their formal responsibilities. Essentially, this would teach important skills and technical knowledge from the outset, while key behaviours and practical skills will continue to be embedded throughout the full apprenticeship programme.

For venues struggling with staff shortages, front-loaded training could prove invaluable in helping apprentices to hit the ground running and make a real contribution to their workplaces from the very start. For example, many

restaurants are struggling under the current national shortage of chefs and the time required to train someone through current methods isn’t quick enough to meet this demand.

It’s also worth mentioning that flexible apprenticeships do not always have to be front-loaded. There are also options to flex the training model to deliver focused training at other stages of the apprenticeship – giving the employer even greater flexibility to reflect the needs of their staff and business.

A FASTER APPROACH TO APPRENTICESHIPS

Another option which is already being utilised is ‘accelerated apprenticeships’, which allow an employer to adjust the length of an apprenticeship for an individual who has existing relevant knowledge or skills. For instance, anyone new to hospitality work who has a background in customer service is likely to already have some of the essential skills needed in our sector and wouldn’t need as deep a level of training in this area.

A shorter training programme is not only a more cost-effective approach for an employer, but would reduce the time an individual has to spend as an apprentice. However, it is also worth noting that the law requires an apprentice maintains their minimum programme time of 12 months.

FLEXI-JOB APPRENTICESHIPS

Another training model that may become available to the hospitality sector is ‘flexi-job apprenticeships’, which are designed to ensure that sectors and occupations, where short-term contracts or other non-standard employment models are the norm, can access the benefits of apprenticeships too. In a nutshell, with the variety of flexible apprenticeships available, hospitality operators can look at what skills they need for their workforce now – and what they’re likely to need in the future – and choose a tailored approach.

BUSTING MYTHS

While flexible training models will open up training opportunities to an even broader range of employees, a number of prevailing myths are potentially preventing both employers and individuals from considering apprenticeships as an option.

For instance, you may think of them primarily as a choice for school leavers, but there’s no age limit. Apprenticeships are an ideal way for people at any stage in their working lives to reskill or to build on their existing skills – whether they’re new to hospitality or want to progress further in the sector.

In my view, there’s no role an 18-yearold could take on in this sector that a 50-year-old couldn’t do without the right training.

As more and more people of all ages – and with various levels of experience – are starting to see the opportunities available to the through apprenticeships, change is on the horizon. And with greater flexibility in how apprenticeships are delivered, operators will have more options in how they attract newcomers to the sector, as well as supporting their existing employees to grow and develop in their roles.

Venues stand to reap big rewards in boosting the skills of their workforce and onboarding new team members quickly, while employees will feel valued knowing that you’re investing in their careers with your business.

For more information on training through apprenticeships, visit: https://hittraining. co.uk/