are struggling, with more of last year’s

are struggling, with more of last year’s
computer science graduates out of work
than any other university degree subject.
Richard Lambert, Director-General of the
CBI warns that ‘bright kids are steering
away from science, technology, engineering
and maths (STEM) subjects because of
the perception that jobs don’t exist’.
But this belief is patently misguided.
A CBI report published in May 2010
found that 72 per cent of businesses
rely on STEM-skilled staff, 45 per cent
of employers are already experiencing
difficulties in recruiting workers with
the right STEM skills and 59 per cent
anticipate problems recruiting such
staff over the next three years.
Furthermore, research with IT employers
conducted in 2005 found that only three
per cent of respondents had considered
employing a 16-18 year old and only one
per cent of the people working in the
industry were in that age bracket.
It seems clear that, if IT is to be seen
as a career choice by more of our
young people, then the industry needs
to employ more workers at entry
level, and embracing apprenticeships
as a route to harness fresh new
talent should be the way forward.
The coalition government is fully committed
to apprenticeships, demonstrating
commitment to this vital development
channel by increasing funding by 50 per cent
in the spending review in October 2010.
David Willets, the Universities and
Science Minister, is keen to give
apprentices a badge of honour much like
university graduates achieve and has
proposed a technician status as a way
of recognising their achievements.
Apprenticeships in
the IT Industry – are
enough employers
backing young people?
The IT industry is well aware that there
is a problem looming with regards to
the recruitment of the next generation
of IT professionals, but is it doing
enough to address this challenge?
The scale of the problem was outlined
by Karen Price, e-Skills UK Chief
Executive, who estimates that the
IT industry needs to attract 110,000
new IT professionals every year.
So what are apprenticeships, how
could they benefit employers and what
impact can this have on meeting the
future needs of the IT industry?
Apprenticeships are training
programmes designed around the
needs of employers that lead to
nationally recognised qualifications.
This simply isn’t happening; in fact it
appears that the trend is going in the
opposite direction.
Government research has identified a
critical shortage of IT skills in the UK in
general and year on year the number of
school children opting for computer –
related courses at both GCSE and A-level
continues to fall. Reputedly even those
students who went on to higher education
Apprenticeships can be used to train both
new and existing employees and funding
is available to help with the costs of the
training via the Skills Funding Agency.
Whilst apprenticeships are suitable for
employees of all ages, if you employ
EN HA N CE YOUR IT STRATEGY TWENTY:11
Zenos.indd 71
71
07/03/2011 11:38
training & Education
someone aged 16-18 then the government
will fund the full cost of the training, whilst
the employer only has to pay the salary
costs, with the minimum apprenticeship
wage currently set at £95 per week.
The content of the training delivered that
leads to an apprenticeship is designed by the
relevant sector skills council who also helps
to develop and approve the course content.
In the case of the IT Sector Skills Council, its
business representatives are drawn from
the industry, which means the training will
be relevant to the IT sector.
In essence, apprenticeships deliver
skills for employees designed around
the needs of your business.
In the IT industry the options for
apprenticeships include programmes for:
• IT and telecoms professionals;
• IT users;
• IT professionals.
The first two programmes can lead to
either a Level 2 apprenticeship or Level
3 advanced apprenticeship award, whilst
the ICT Professionals apprenticeship
is a Level 4 higher apprenticeship and
connects apprenticeships to higher
education, giving apprentices the
option to take a foundation degree that
leads on to a full honours degree.
Full details can be found at
www.apprenticeships.org.uk
The employer of an apprentice can
determine where the training takes
place, some choosing the work-based
learning route with a mixture of ‘on
the job’ training at their own premises
combined with day or block release to
either a specialist learning provider or
by partnering with a local college to
provide elements of the programme.
• 8
3% considered apprenticeships
the method to provide their
organisation with the skilled workers
they needed in the future.
• 67% of respondents said
apprenticeship programmes helped
them fill vacancies quicker.
• 59% reported training apprentices
was more cost-effective than
hiring skilled staff and led to
lower overall training costs.
• 57% found a higher proportion of
their apprentices went on to secure
management positions in their company.
In summary, the benefits for employers
include improvements to the bottom
line, a cost-effective way to recruit,
the ability to close skills gaps, lower
overall training costs and a tool to
help motivate the workforce.
Some of this can be attributed to the fact
that apprentices tend to be grateful for
the opportunities they have been given
and repay their employer with higher
productivity, loyalty and flexibility, and
they tend to be generally more eager
and motivated compared to those who
have not enjoyed the same opportunity.
Research conducted on behalf of the
Learning and Skills Council (LSC) in
February 2008 by Populus to launch the
first National Apprenticeship Week found:
Independent research conducted by
the ROI Academy during 2010 into the
experiences of national employers
including Lloyds Banking Group and
Fujitsu, who have recruited numerous
IT apprentices over recent years,
confirms the LSC research findings.
• 7
7% of employers believed apprentices
made them more competitive.
• 76% said apprentices provided
higher productivity.
• 80% felt that apprenticeships helped to
reduce staff turnover.
• 88% believed apprenticeships led to a
more motivated and satisfied workforce.
Fujitsu works with Kelly Recruitment
Services to find employees for Fujitsu’s
first level support on the company’s
IT helpdesk. The consultant who
manages the Kelly team at Bracknell
describes apprentices as highly skilled,
with very good levels of technical
knowledge, generally more confident
72
Zenos.indd 72
than other candidates of the same
age and overall of a good quality.
In the last 12 months, of the 40 new
employees recruited with an apprenticeship
qualification, Fujitsu have seen a drop-out
rate of 7.5 per cent, which compares very
favourably with a rate of 12.5 per cent from
other candidates.
The consultant puts this down in part
to the work ethic that apprentices
demonstrate, and inevitably this reduced
failure rate gives Kelly a lower cost of
hire for apprentices compared with
other employees in the same role.
Once on the job, apprentices are generally
viewed by their managers as more
motivated and ambitious to succeed. For
example, a recent first level technical
support recruit was promoted to supervisor
within five months, one month before the
end of his temporary contract with Kelly.
The experiences at Lloyds Banking Group,
formed when Lloyds bought Halifax
Bank of Scotland in 2009, are similar.
Manpower Services is the outsourced
contracted provider of support staff for
the Lloyds Banking Group’s information
technology helpdesk in Leeds.
Employing IT apprentices is a route that
allows these employers to meet their needs
for professional, well qualified and highly
motivated young professionals.
It is a route that their competitors ignore at
their peril.
Contact details:
Richard Lambden, Employment Manager
Direct Line: 07584 393009
Main Switchboard: 01869 812730
Zenos, Aynhoe Park, Aynho,
Oxfordshire, OX17 3BQ
TW E N TY: 1 1 E NH A N C E Y O U R IT S T R A TEGY
07/03/2011 11:38