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Potential Benefits to Apprentice Employers

Summary

The Creative Apprenticeship scheme is on the job training whilst studying for a nationally recognised qualification. A creative or cultural business employs a young person as a creative apprentice to deliver a specific job role as an assistant. They are junior roles: Creative Apprentices are earning and learning: working for their employer whilst studying for their apprenticeship qualification. We recommend that apprentices are taken on for a year with the usual employment terms and conditions and performance management systems an employer would use for any employee.

Types of Creative Apprenticeships we offer

Creative Alliance is the foremost provider of Creative Apprentices in the region. We have supported nearly 40 young people to gain this qualification working with a range of creative and cultural organisations over the last 18 months. The creative apprenticeships we deliver cover the following qualifications:

  • Design
  • Creative and Digital Media
  • Community Arts
  • Cultural Venue Management

The nature of the qualification

Their qualification is largely based on gathering evidence of what they are learning whilst working for their employer. For example, if the apprentice was following the community arts pathway, they would need experience opportunities during their work of:

  • Planning, preparing, delivering and evaluation workshops and creative projects;
  • Organising events, resources and materials;
  • Show an understanding of health and safety and safeguarding issues;

A Creative Alliance assessor will support the apprentice and employer in putting together this portfolio of evidence of achievement. In addition to this, for six months they attend the taught element of the programme for a day a week at Creative Alliance. We make sure the training your apprentices receive is relevant, appropriate and credible for work in this sector. They:

  • Meet a range of successful creative and cultural practitioners/business owners as part of becoming familiar with how the sector works. They have to prepare and deliver a presentation of their insights about working in the sector at the end of this unit.
  • Work with other apprentices on a live project which they have to plan, manage and deliver within a set timeframe and budget. This is an invaluable experiential, learning process with direct transference of skills and abilities back into their workplace.
  • Research and undertake a series of visits to successful creative and cultural organisations to find out what knowledge, skills and qualities are required by people to work in, run and create successful creative business.

The advantages of the scheme are:

From a talent perspective:

  • It appeals to a wide cross section of talented young people: learning is based on the reality of working;
  • Breaks the cycle of no experience equals no job as it enables young people to gain both simultaneously;
  • Is a stepping stone for talented people into degree / level 4 studies in creative areas once they have developed an understanding and experience of work;

From an employer perspective:

  • As well as providing additional people resources to support your business, it is also an opportunity to invest in your future workforce and train them in the ethos and values of your company.
  • Develop the mindset, skills and attributes that can be lacking from people emerging from formal education routes so that an apprentice becomes job ready faster and adds value more quickly to your business.
  • Identify and nurture talent at an early stage of their professional development and create a loyalty to your way of doing things.
  •  The apprentice receives dedicated assessor time equivalent to 1/2 day / month to support the apprentice in developing their portfolio.

What you get:

  • A talented young person with ability and potential working for you.
  • Another member of staff with an interest and skills in wanting to learn how to succeed in your business.
  • Someone with the ability to relate to their peers and provide a fresh perspective to your business.

What it costs:

  • An apprentice is paid at national apprentice minimum wage at £2.60 p/h, 30 hours minimum per week.
  • Time for a senior member of staff to supervise, mentor and support the young person’s professional development.

Bottom Line:

  • Will help develop your business through bringing new talent into the business that has an investment in your business.
  • Value for money
  • Flexible: we’ll find a way to help you take on an apprentice that suits your situation and circumstances.