Samarah Dawson, Business Development Manager at WEBS Training, continues the conversation on apprenticeships, asking: How can tailored training impact the value of an apprenticeship?
Apprenticeships have had a mixed reception over the last few years. With apprenticeship starts reduced by 40% since the start of the levy in 2017, shortened courses appearing to cheapen the standard, and the economic landscape impacting labour spending – none of this seems particularly enamouring for an employer to invest in an apprentice or training provider to which they must give their precious time and money.
Which is why WEBS Training, as a specialised training provider, aim to do it differently.
Starting as a collaboration between four local furniture manufacturers back in 1968, WEBS’ values have always been to provide training that reflects the needs of the employer. Even now as a national training provider, we still believe that tailored training is the way to give the most value to an apprenticeship – to both employer and apprentice.
If each company is different, then how can the training be the same?
We want to create an experience for both the employer and apprentice that is different to college, where colleges deliver cookie-cutter sessions and can restrict access to practical training. Apprentices trained with WEBS are encouraged to push themselves in their development – producing award winning projects and creating work which directly contributes to their business through projects to design new and redevelop existing furniture with more sustainable practices.
Our specialism in furniture and interiors allows us to create schemes of work that are practical, industry based, and useful to the companies in which the apprentice works.
We achieve this by looking at the requirements of each module (or duty, as it is referred to in some courses), and working out how to make it relevant to the company they work for. We could just train to the baseline requirements of the course, but for WEBS it is about how we can reach beyond that and aspire for a better level of training.
If we are training materials, what are the materials that your business uses? We engage the apprentice to learn more about where they work, different departmental roles in selecting and purchasing materials, and their industry – why has the business chosen these materials? This is just one example of a topic within the apprenticeship and how we can tailor it.
We are also able to train on the models of the business they are working for. We have previously been given frames and specifications for companies’ more complex sofa models to train the more advanced skills the apprentices specifically needed for their job role. In some cases, we also complete training in-company.
We can do this because we are not a college. As we are an independent not-for-profit training provider, the quality of the training and the relationships we build with the companies we work with can always be our priority. The close relationships between WEBS and the employers, and our training officers and supervisors, allow open communication, meaning that throughout the course the training can always be relevant.
We are guided by you.
Tell us the skills and techniques you want us to train. Tell us if you have complex fabrics where pattern-matching is a skill that needs to be focussed on. Tell us if you work with specific joints which you will need the apprentice to learn, or if you install certain types or styles of furniture.
Is there unused skill in your labouring teams that could be nurtured? Do you have a need for cross-departmental training, adding flexibility to your team and providing a workplace of professional development?
We want to support your company in the progression of your workforce, so you have the best team possible for the next generation of your business.
However, we need employers to engage with the idea of having an apprentice.
Securing the next generation of your business is not something that can be left until last minute, especially in companies with long standing staff and decades of experience.
If a significant part of your business is set to retire at a similar time, how long would it take to train a replacement to the same level of skill? Even with training, how much experience would be needed to be a suitable replacement for your most seasoned of furniture makers?
Yes, a basic apprenticeship may not be a benefit to your business – but we do not deliver basic apprenticeships. We deliver bespoke, award winning, caring, and specialised apprenticeships.
So let us know how we can help your business… and you will really see the difference that tailored training can make.
