Apprentice event: Informing employers

Outset welcomed a packed audience of clients and guests to our ‘Who will you hire? Employment law observations of the Apprentice’ breakfast event on the 24^th November.

Senior employment lawyer, Chloe Harrold, was joined by fellow presenters Becky Farley and Claire Bridger from MidKent College, and Marcus Chrysostomou of Equilibrium PR who offered the views of business and shared insights from information collated by the Institute of Directors.

Attendees first learnt about current and future opportunities for employers who wish to get involved with apprenticeships. “With the new standards being implemented in 2017, there will be greater flexibility to tailor placements to meet the needs of employers, compared to the current prescriptive framework” stated Becky Farley.  Talking about the coming changes “from April 2017, employers with a salary bill of £3m or greater (per annum) will be liable to pay the levy.  This deduction will provide the employer with a digital account that can be used for apprenticeship training”.

As Kent branch IoD Ambassador for Public Affairs and Policy, Marcus was in a position to share that Kent members had a range of opinions about apprenticeships and their benefits. In a survey 66% of respondents had taken on at least one apprentice, 17% of respondents felt that it was too complicated to take on an apprentice. “Businesses are not only seeking a new employee, they are also hoping to get fresh ideas and someone who can grow within their organisation” said Marcus.

The final speaker was Chloe, who shared her journey of being a blogger about HR issues highlighted through the BBC series The Apprentice, as well as some aspects of apprenticeships that employers often overlook. “Getting the right contract in place for your apprentices is paramount” said Chloe “And employers should be aware that there are certain working regulations and health and safety issues relating to emloyees under the age of 18, such as the frequency and length of breaks, which differ from employees aged 18 or over”.

An engaging question and answer session chaired by Outset Head of HR Solutions, Fiona Mason, resulted in some attendees receiving answers to some long term questions. Amongst the audience there was a mix of experience and advice of how to make apprenticeships a success, with one client sharing that they had invested in giving apprentices a mentor to ‘teach’ their new joiners about the expectations and acceptable behaviours for a place of work.

We were delighted with the response and feedback of this event, and we look forward to our next event in 2017. One attendee emailed us to say “I particularly liked the speech from Chloe about the apprentice, it was nice to have something slightly off beat but related to the workplace.”

Please contact John.Austinbrooks@outsetuk.com if you would like to be added to our mailing list for events and news.