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How we support SME employers
Supporting SME and non-levy paying employers
Supporting SME and non-levy paying employers
Welcome, SME and non-levy paying employers:
The needs of non-levy paying SME employers are often different to larger, levy paying employers. The range, size and complexity of non-levy employers is wide, and at NowSkills provides SME support and works with employers who have 5 employees, through to larger non-levy employers with 100+ employees.
The needs of non-levy paying SME employers are often different to larger, levy paying employers. The range, size and complexity of non-levy employers is wide, and at NowSkills provides SME support and works with employers who have 5 employees, through to larger non-levy employers with 100+ employees.
Many non-levy employers don’t have a dedicated apprenticeship manager, and many are yet to employ any apprentices, some non-levy employers have attempted to employ apprentices with different levels of success. NowSkills is here to provide SME support to non-levy employers and to help them to create an apprenticeship strategy that enable them to maximise the apprenticeships opportunity whilst offering apprentices meaningful roles that lead to rewarding careers.
We are proud to work with leading employers:
Build a digital apprenticeship strategy:
SME employers that take time to develop an apprenticeship strategy, are rewarded them with a stream of motivated talented digital employees for years to come. Planning the strategy is essential, and size of employer is unimportant. We work with some excellent SME employers with as few as 5 employees, who continually have apprenticeship success; conversely, we have been approached by larger SME employers who have failed to be successful in the past, due to not having a training partner who understands what it takes for success. We work with these employers, to support them to build a strategy that delivers.
Making you first apprentice hire a success is the most important. Take time to recruit properly and ensure the role works for the apprenticeship standard, support your apprentice and at completion you’ll likely want to retain the apprentice, if you do, then you’ll have a ready-made mentor for your next digital apprentice and so on. Struggling to recruit digital talent will be a thing of the past.
SME employers compete with large levy paying employers for apprentice talent, and SME employers have to underline the advancement opportunities available to apprentices in their organisations. Top quality digital apprentices are in demand, and SME employers have to make their apprenticeship offer appealing if they want the best digital talent to join them. Its not uncommon for NowSkills apprentices to receive 3 offers of employment, and they choose the employer they feel the most comfortable with.
Ways NowSkills can support SME non-levy paying employers, with no added fees:
+ Help you to build an apprenticeship strategy, with free advice and guidance.
+ Support you to set up your Digital Apprenticeship Service account and claim your incentives
+ Introduce you to motivated, talented apprentices looking for an opportunity to impress and be offered an apprenticeship.
+ Manage the recruitment and selection process.
+ Support you throughout the apprenticeship.
+ Screen your existing employees and check their eligibility for enrollments
A focus on quality provision:
As the apprenticeship sector continues to evolve, and with funding rules and new apprenticeship standards being released and updated, the market changes quickly. At NowSkills, we have been delivering digital apprenticeships since 2013. Our experience of provision has been built upon and continuously improved with a focus on quality and the impact of our teaching and learning.
We continue to invest in the quality of our teaching and learning with a training and recruitment strategy that recruits and develops industry professionals with proven technical skills who can stretch and challenge your learners, whilst at the same time supporting and inspiring them to develop engaging portfolios of work and valuable coaching prior their interview sand synoptic projects.
Our values include doing the right thing and the personal touch, and we really do care about the success of every one of our apprentices.
Some reasons why apprenticeships can fail with SME employers:
+ The apprentice is mis-sold the role, or misunderstands the role or standard due to a rushed recruitment process.
+ The employer make unreasonable performance demands, and fails to acknowledge how the apprenticeship works.
+ The line manager or mentor is not engaged in the process, or dislikes apprenticeships and fails to support the apprentice.
+ A badly defined job description, or role that does not focus on digital means the apprentice will fail.
+ Not giving the apprentice time to complete assignments or off the job training.
We are proud to work with leading employers:
We’re here to support you
At NowSkills, we’re here to support employers. Please contact our Employer Engagement Team using one of the following methods:
Phone: 0345 556 4170 or complete our contact form here.
