Robin Ghurbhurun
Newcastle College
Ask the Expert: Business growth through apprenticeships
Robin Ghurbhurun, deputy principal of Newcastle College, explores how businesses can achieve cost-effective growth through apprenticeships.
Q. How can businesses achieve cost-effective growth through apprenticeships?
A. As National Apprenticeship Week (6-10 February) approaches, there's no better time for businesses to consider how apprenticeships can contribute to business growth whilst helping to address the issue of rising unemployment in the North East.
In a difficult economic climate, employers are exploring alternative methods of recruitment that offer a positive return on investment and improved staff retention; ways to continue to grow their business whilst managing their cost base.
Apprenticeships are an ideal solution to address this concern. Whilst traditionally apprenticeships have focused on trade areas, there is now a wide range of options for employers to choose from. Organisations have access to high calibre individuals that are looking for ways to secure higher level skills and a place on the career ladder.
There is greater flexibility in the delivery of an apprenticeship that means training can be delivered with minimum impact to the working week. With tighter budgets and the high costs often associated with recruitment, employers are taking advantage of free recruitment and matching services that are offered by providers such as Newcastle College.
As a leading provider of apprenticeships, Newcastle College offers the widest range of apprenticeships in the north east to meet the needs of local businesses. This experience of working in partnership with employers has helped us to understand some of the hurdles that small firms have faced. So we welcomed the news that from April 2012 the Government will offer employers with up to 50 employees an incentive payment of up to £1,500 to take on their first apprentice aged 16 to 24-years-old. The college looks forward to helping smaller companies make the most of this initiative.
I therefore lay down a challenge for all businesses during National Apprenticeship Week to take a minute to consider that if you need to add one more person to the team, then make that person an apprentice.
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About Robin
An experienced learning and skills professional with 18 years in the post-16 sector working in London, East Anglia and the North East. Specialties include business development, employer engagement, stakeholder partnerships (regional, national and international), curriculum management, innovation and design, bid writing and compliance, workforce development, e-learning and enterprise education.
Contact Details
Robin Ghurbhurun
Deputy Principal,
Newcastle College
Dionne.Payne@ncl-coll.ac.uk
0191 200 4455
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