Retail Surgery: How do I take on a retail apprentice?

Apprenticeships are an opportunity for an employee to gain practical, on-the-job experience and skills, while getting paid. For employers, apprenticeships result in a more motivated, skilled and productive workforce that helps maintain a competitive edge.

According to Myra Wall, managing director of Skillsfirst Awards, there is a wide variety of apprenticeships to suit a range of businesses. An apprenticeship brings together a number of different qualifications, known as a framework, which ensures that the apprentice learns a wide range of skills, all of which are relevant to the business.

“For retail apprentices, the apprenticeship will include a mix of both practical skills, such as receiving goods into storage, and knowledge-based learning, such as consumer law and health and safety,” explains Wall.

Apprenticeships are also available at a range of levels, from intermediate to higher. It is important to understand how an apprentice’s time is spent, as some employees can be worried that they are essentially paying for a team member who will often be away from the workplace training offsite.

“This isn’t the case,” says Wall. “Most of the apprentice’s time will be spent with you, the employer. A lot of the learning will be undertaken at their place of work, but from time to time they may be required to undertake external learning with their learning provider.”