Digital apprenticeships are becoming more popular than ever as the UK leading employers increasingly rethink their digital communication strategy and the way they recruit and train top talent.
Digital apprenticeships offer vast development opportunities, enabling apprentices to learn on the job while earning a sufficient wage. They also play an important role in building more diverse and inclusive teams, giving opportunities to those who may not have access to the traditional career path. And with the tech skills gap still prominent, they’re also delivering business impact by providing the future digital skills employer’s demand.
A recent report found that a third (34%) of SMEs plan to hire a digital apprentice in the next year. It also revealed that SMEs that have taken on an apprentice see them as a vital part of their business — with 78% claiming hiring an apprentice has been a positive experience.
The Digital Apprenticeship model helps apprentices grow skills and knowledge quickly in a way that adds value to both learners and the business.
- 86% of employers said apprenticeships helped them develop skills relevant to their organisation.
- 78% of employers said apprenticeships helped them improve productivity.
- 74% of employers said apprenticeships helped them improve the quality of their product or service.
Apprentice starts at tech companies were up 15.8% in the last year, creating new routes into fields like software engineering, data analytics and business transformation. In 2023 and beyond, the continued growth of apprenticeships is likely to be driven by the 1.4m SMEs with employees in the UK.
It’s time to embrace Digital Apprenticeships in 2023. Creative Process can help you create your own in-house digital strategists. We can assist you in either recruiting a digital apprentice into your business or help you access apprenticeship funding to upskill an existing member of staff. Get in touch today.