With the UK job market extremely active, businesses are finding that to retain your staff means to train and reward them. That’s good news for S&B Automotive, a leading provider of automotive training, which has seen orders for retraining and CPD-based courses in high demand since the new year.
Hosts of the IRTE Skills Challenge, a competition for coach and bus apprentices and technicians, S&B has emerged from the pandemic leaner and fitter, encouraged by the industry’s dedication to staff skills training.
“There’s a lot of interest again in apprenticeships, and short course sales have been higher in this academic year than they’ve ever been, so it’s really encouraging,” said S&B Chief Executive Phil Marsh.
As the cost-effective benefits of apprenticeships become clear, and as students weigh up their options for further education, S&B believes that the apprenticeship brand has gained further credibility and is being considered more broadly, both by young people and workers considering a career change.
“For an apprenticeship, you’re getting £15-18,000 worth of funding plus additional costs that the employer will support you with. You’ve got no debt and a strong base to build on and develop a career. Added to that, when you finish your apprenticeship, you have already built a relationship with your employer. People are becoming more aware of the possibilities. Also, historically, you’ve had to go to university to follow certain careers; now, you can become a solicitor or accountant through an apprenticeship. That has helped to dispel the myth and some stigma sometimes surrounding apprenticeships,” added Phil.
In the automotive sector, individuals are using apprenticeships to change career paths or make the next step up by taking team leadership and management apprenticeships.
“We’ve got ground to make up compared to pre-covid levels but the future’s looking extremely bright. We’ve got lots of interest out there and the industry’s moving quickly,” said Phil. Click on the red highlighted text here to enter the IRTE Skills Challenge.
