The value of apprenticeships to your business should not be underestimated. Training an apprentice within your company will provide a strong foundation to your staff base and demonstrate your commitment to the future development of both your business and the industry.

Our sector is desperately short of apprentices and without employer commitment it is set to continue this way until the bottom drops out of your industry. We know we are facing a crisis but who should we blame? Many might blame colleges for not making more courses available to apprentice craftpersons/technicians throughout the UK, thus producing less than the amount of required graduates.

However, it must be noted that colleges cannot be blamed for the limited number of courses. We must first consider the underlying reason for this, which we believe, is the lack of employers willing to take on apprentices. If employers do not take apprentices for on the job training, then many potential learners cannot be enrolled on college courses, ultimately forcing suitable training programmes to be taken off the curriculum, as they will not be economically viable.

Further, a common complaint is that the shortage of available engineers is due to the lack of young people driven to achieve in this field. This in part is possibly true for entrants wishing to start their career at engineer level; it is however clearly untrue when we look at the amount of school leavers applying for craft and technician apprenticeships in building services engineering fields. Last year at BEST, we received over 5,000 applications during October – March. Of these, 3,300 were interviewed and assessed with over 1,000 meeting the stringent entrance criteria we set.

We can therefore see that the lack of potential apprentices or college courses is not the ultimate cause of the skills shortage. The answer clearly lies in the lack of industry employers willing to employ young learners, provide on-the-job training, and then encourage and motivate young people through their clearly structured apprenticeship programme.

Some employers who do not embrace training may argue that training drains their resources, is expensive and the trained craftsperson is not guaranteed to stay with their company following completion of the apprenticeship. To this end, they often prefer to employ from the ‘pool’ of qualified craftpersons already available. If you are one of these employers, ask yourself what will happen when this so called ‘pool’ of employees diminishes? My best guess is you will be the people and companies who lose out, with fewer employees to choose from and none of them regarding you as an employer who invests in their career.

When I discussed this problem with Keith Marshall, Chief Executive of SummitSkills, the Sector Skills Council for building services engineering, he highlighted key benefits that employers can gain through investing in staff training. “Employers find that training their workforce, both new recruits and existing workers, boosts productivity in several different ways. For example, skilled workers are often better able to adapt quickly and effectively to change, a common situation in our sector where advances in technology are a regular feature. Investment in the skills of your workforce is also associated with greater profitability. Evidence from the US suggests that companies making an above average investment in training show greater returns than the market average over a five-year period. In addition, recent evidence has indicated that the more productive UK firms are those who invest in the skills of their workers.

“It is for these reasons that all employees must be provided with recognised training from the outset of their career to ensure they are always up-to-date with the best methods to approach all areas of their work.

“With government commitment to skills at an all time high, there is no better time to get fully engaged in training. If employers are willing to do their bit, the Government has stated it will align funding on the supply side.

This is a perfect opportunity for the sector to have a demand-led system, and one not to be missed.” The frightening truth Last year, hundreds of qualified school leavers who applied to BEST for apprenticeship placements were turned down by the plumbing and HVACR industry. This trend is set to continue as at this stage, only a handful of employers have so far come forward to request potential learners.

To put this into context, for the academic year 2005/06, we have already received over 3,500 applications from potential apprentices across England, Scotland and Wales, with more expected between now and the end of March.

We are currently undertaking interviews and assessments, and estimate at least 1,000 of these candidates will pass our stringent criteria. That leaves a massive shortfall if more employers do not contact us in the next few months to request apprentices.

BEST’s learner recruitment essential criteria The estimated number of accepted applications to BEST is expected to be lower than in recent years, however, this is intentional and a result of the stringent entrance criteria we have introduced. By raising the standards required for application, BEST has ensured that learners of the highest calibre are available to employers, with all our prospective apprentices prepared for the demands of the industry and the qualifications they want to train towards.

The criteria states that all BEST-managed learners who wish to start a craft apprenticeship programme in 2005 must first have GCSE grades A-D in maths, English literature or language, science or resistant materials technology, or equivalent to GNVQ Intermediate.

Student engineers/technicians are expected to have achieved GCSE grades A-C in maths, English literature or language, science or resistant materials technology, and one other subject, or equivalent to GNVQ Intermediate.

Candidates will also be required to sit the Basic Skills Agency literacy and numeracy paper and two BEST numeracy papers. Those who score entry level two or lower in either Basic Skills papers are generally judged to be unlikely to benefit from the training programmes BEST can offer.  Take your pick now.  To ensure you capture the highest calibre learners, you need to be on the look out for apprentices now; as this is the time that young people are considering their career path for when they conclude secondary education in the summer. It is also essential that they make provision in the 2005/6 business plan. While BEST services are free, the apprentice’s basic salary and contribution to off-the-job training, depending on funding available, must be taken into consideration when reviewing budgets.

There is, of course, no reason why an employer should not seek to employ their own apprentices direct, and many do. BEST is still more than able, and willing, to assist in the ongoing training and management of the learner, allowing employers to concentrate on their key business activities. We will assign a personal training adviser for each learner to arrange their courses, monitor college and site work and act as a mentor throughout the apprenticeship. However, in everyone’s interest, it is important that employers are aware that the candidate must meet BEST’s essential recruitment criteria, and must provide evidence of all achievements or predicted grades to support it.

Initiating the employment process now, whilst the potential learner is still in full-time education, gives the employer a choice of quality apprentices and the chance to agree in advance a start date for the apprentice. The learner also benefits from the commitment he/she needs from their future employer and therefore does not need to consider other career options because their first choice is beginning to look unlikely to prove fruitful.

It has never been easier to employ an apprentice and watch them grow within your company. BEST removes the task of assessing potential school leavers by carrying out the full interview and assessment process prior to introducing them to potential employers. As a major training provider for the plumbing and HVACR sector, we recruit young people into the industry and facilitate the delivery of their training. By joining forces with us, employers save a considerable amount of time and money on recruitment.

It is clear that the problem within the industry is not now a lack of suitable candidates, but the shortage of employers willing to train them. An industry with a widely recognised skills shortage is losing out on quality young people to other sectors. BEST can bring the quality candidates forward. Employers must now take the opportunity to sign up these young people and enjoy the benefits they provide.

For further information on BEST’s services and recruitment strategy,contact them on 0800 9178419.

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