The Apprentice Academy nominated for The AAT Large Training Provider of The Year Award 2024 We are pleased to announce AAT have nominated The Apprentice Academy for the Large Training Provider of the year Award 2024! This nomination for the UK national award follows our success as winners of the Apprenticeship Training Provider of the Year at AAT’s last two consecutive awards ceremonies in 2019 and 2020. As we reflect on the past year, it’s with great pride that we share the strides we’ve made in expanding our accountancy provision to cater to the learning needs of apprentices all over the UK ..read more

Embarking on a career in the housing/property industry can be both challenging and rewarding. To understand more about this sector and the career opportunities, we spoke with Jake Jackson at Bidwells, who has just won the PropertyMark Rising Star of the Year Award, and Nabiel Din at Barbon Insurance Group, who was recently featured in their company magazine. Jake completed the Level 3 Housing and Property Management Apprenticeship with The Apprentice Academy in 2022 and Nabiel is due to complete his Apprenticeship in 2024. A Career in Property Management – How to get started? Nabiel’s property ..read more

At The Apprentice Academy, we regularly track apprenticeship start volumes throughout the UK, and produce a Top 100 list on our website. It’s a great way for employers to see the most popular options and can help with workforce development planning. At the time of publication, there are currently 853 apprenticeship standards approved for delivery in the UK. A huge number, covering many specialisms and industries. The latest data reveals the number of employees who started apprenticeship programmes in the 2022/2023 period. The Academy delivers 8 of the top 100 programmes, with starts volumes re ..read more

“Focus on being productive instead of being busy,” advises Tim Ferriss, author of several bestselling books, including The 4-Hour Workweek. Whilst most of us can only dream of a four-hour work week, the imminent release of Microsoft 365 Copilot (1st November 2023) may help us all take that giant leap towards being more productive. This will probably pique the curiosity of The Apprentice Academy’s Data Analyst and Data Technician apprentices first, but every single apprentice and office worker should sit up and take notice, especially where new ways of reducing the time pressures of work and st ..read more

Ofsted Inspectors Rate The Apprentice Academy as a ‘Good’ Apprenticeship Training Provider. In July 2023, The Apprentice Academy was inspected by Ofsted and received a ‘Good’ rating in all areas covering: The quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management and overall effectiveness. The public report is now available.  Here is a quick summary of the main points: A Positive Rewarding Learning Environment: Learners speak highly of their training and coaching, with apprentices actively contributing to improving processes and adding significant v ..read more

Did you know that entry level positions had the highest staff turnover rate in 2022 at 35% (HR Review 2023) with many new recruits determining their job commitment within the first six months of employment. The factors influencing this are diverse, however effective onboarding plays a fundamental part in the engagement process. Research emphasises the importance of a warm reception and recognition of new employees. A past survey by The Apprentice Academy found that apprentices contributed significant value in just eight weeks, referred to as the “Magic 8 weeks” if employees were onboarded well ..read more

Why an apprenticeship? The ‘Why?’ is the main question people battle with when deciding if they should embark on an apprenticeship, and rightly so. What impact does an apprenticeship have? Read on for some answers… The UK Needs It A recent research briefing published by the House of Commons Library, giving the latest available statistics and comparisons of UK productivity with other G7 countries, revealed that in 2021 the UK only managed mid-table ..read more

The Apprentice Academy has been delivering apprenticeship programmes for over 15 years, and employers nationwide have seen the benefits of incorporating them into their learning and development strategies. This article outlines 7 reasons how employers can benefit from using apprenticeships: 1- To Attract Staff Apprenticeships are an attractive proposition for new staff. They provide structured training and fill gaps in knowledge and skill, which helps to increase performance and productivity. Within 15-18 months, employees increase their confidence, competence, and career capability. Not only ..read more

As a new tax year begins, it is official that National Insurance contributions are up, and these increases affect both employees and employers. Costs are going up everywhere – fuel, raw materials, tax. This blog will highlight how employers can save money on national insurance contributions, by using apprenticeships. Outline of the changes From April 2022 the following changes have occurred: Employer National Insurance Contributions have risen to 15.05%. Up from 13.8%. Employees paying class 1 contributions (which start on earnings over £187 per week), will now pay 12% NI, then 2% on all earn ..read more

In the following video, Lydia Whitelegg talks about her journey from business administration apprentice in 2011, to being an Associate Director at Halecroft Recruitment a decade later! Lydia is the first of our apprentice alumni that we have spoken to. Halecroft Recruitment offer services to employers and candidates, who are looking for executive roles, HR & recruitment jobs, and more. They do this both locally and nationally. Lydia is a real advocate for apprenticeships. She speaks about how excited she gets when her clients ask about apprenticeships, harking back to her experience of com ..read more