Barclays builds Bridges into Work for young people

Citation

(2013), "Barclays builds Bridges into Work for young people", Industrial and Commercial Training, Vol. 45 No. 5. https://doi.org/10.1108/ict.2013.03745eaa.001

Barclays builds Bridges into Work for young people

Article Type: Notes and news From: Industrial and Commercial Training, Volume 45, Issue 5

Businesses across England can receive free support to take on a local apprentice under the Barclays Bridges into Work program that will support 10,000 young people into employment.

Local Barclays teams play a key role in matching apprentices and businesses in their area. The program is delivered in partnership with the National Apprenticeship Service, charity partners Tomorrow’s People and the Prince’s Trust.

Barclays will also double the number of apprentices it is recruiting to its own workforce, to 2,000. This will help young people in long-term unemployment, with few or no qualifications, into permanent and paid jobs.

The new drive will build on the existing Barclays program, which is recruiting 1,000 apprentices this year, and the National Apprenticeship Service’s existing support to help small and medium-sized firms in particular to create apprenticeships.

Bridges into Work has been designed to overcome perceived barriers to the creation of apprenticeships, especially in smaller businesses. Recent research has that found that:

• •

  more than 50 per cent of small and medium-sized firms said that they would not take on an apprentice because of fears about the amount of time it takes to set up and the additional support they thought a young person would need; and

• •

  time was the most significant barrier for companies with 250-500 employees (61 per cent), while perceived red tape was the biggest factor for smaller companies with between five and nine employees (39 per cent).

However, 76 per cent of small and medium-sized firms said that they would want to be part of a scheme that helped to set up apprenticeships for young people.

Business Secretary Vince Cable said: “We can build a stronger economy and get more people into work only by working with businesses. This funding from Barclays will do just that.

“It will offer 10,000 young people a chance to get the skills they need to enter the workplace, like help with writing CVs and interview techniques. It will help small companies who are nervous about taking that first step to recruiting an apprentice, by matching them with the right young people and offering advice on how they can get the most out of an apprentice.

“With more than a million people starting apprentices since 2010 we know that they are popular with young people and employers”.

Ashok Vaswani, Chief Executive of Barclays Retail and Business Banking, said: “We have seen first-hand how our apprentices are incredibly productive and valued members of staff, which is why we are now doubling our recruitment. But we often also find great young people who want to work in other industries and we believe we can help them into work through our vast network of business customers.

“We want to help local businesses to take on their own apprentices and will support them every step of the way. Our new package of free support is available to any businesses, whether they bank with us or not, because we aim to make a really big difference to young people’s careers and to our economy”.

David Way, Chief Executive of the National Apprenticeship Service, commented: “For the number of apprenticeships to continue to increase, it is vital that employers, like Barclays, who have so many contacts with businesses, promote apprenticeships to them.

“What makes Bridges into Work so important is that Barclays will also work with the Government and training providers to develop suitable young people to fill these opportunities.

“Our specialist small-business team and free recruitment service make it as easy as possible for small businesses to take on an apprentice and complements the Bridges into Work program”.

In a separate initiative, the Optionis Group plans to take on at least 15 recruits this year as it expands its successful apprenticeship scheme, which was launched in 2011.

Apprentices at Optionis – which employs more than 150 permanent staff and has its head office in Warrington, Lancashire – work towards recognized academic qualifications and are allocated a mentor as part of the group’s buddy program.

Trainees work with their line manager to develop a career map and are given clear targets and objectives, with the opportunity to secure a permanent contract once they have completed their apprenticeship.

Derek Kelly, Managing Director, said: “Of the apprentices we have taken on so far, all but one have been offered full-time employment. Unlike some so-called apprenticeship schemes, this is not about exploiting cheap labour. It is a genuine partnership with our apprentices, who bring energy, commitment and a willingness to learn. In return we offer training, knowledge and a permanent job on proper rates of pay at the end of the journey from apprentice to full-time team member.

“Young people sometimes get a bad press but the apprentices who have joined us so far have displayed tremendous enthusiasm, creativity and dedication. They have been a credit to their generation.

“We have 11 fantastic apprentices with us already, and I am sure the new intake will be just as impressive. The practical experience they gain will set them apart from many of their peers and give them an invaluable insight into working life”.

The Optionis Group is home to Parasol, a UK professional-employment organization (PEO), accountancy and HR services provider ClearSky and cloud-based performance-management software Silverline. Optionis also has offices in London and at Poole in Dorset.

The apprenticeship opportunities will be available across several departments, including information technology, accountancy, sales, marketing and payroll.

The group’s Head of HR, Helen Pedder, said: “Since launching our apprenticeship scheme two years ago, we have seen that it works for the apprentices and for the business as a whole. We work closely with local training providers and colleges. The calibre of the apprentices that have come to us has been extremely high.

“I think our business is the perfect size for apprentices. We are not so big that they find it intimidating, but we are big enough to enable them to gain varied experience and get involved in different areas.

“We take great care to ensure that each apprentice is given clear targets and objectives that fit into their department’s objectives. This empowers them and enables them to take responsibility for their role”.

Abbie Scott joined Optionis on a 12-month apprenticeship contract at the age of 16, having left school with 15 A*-C grade GCSEs.

She said: “I did not plan to do an apprenticeship – it was not the route I thought I was going to go down. I thought I might end up going to college to do health and beauty or dance or something, but I thought about it and realised that I did not want to go to college for the sake of it.

“I thought it would be good to get a feel for working life so I started looking into apprenticeships. I found the opportunity with Optionis and thought it sounded ideal”.

Abbie Scott, from Widnes, Cheshire, joined Optionis as trainee human resources administrator on a 12-month contract. She immediately started working towards a National Vocational Qualification level 2 in business and administration, gaining the qualification six months ahead of schedule and going on to study for an IT qualification in order to broaden her computer skills.

After completing her apprenticeship, she was taken on as a permanent employee and is now a key member of the HR team.

In addition to her day-to-day HR duties, she is responsible for co-ordinating the group’s charity fund-raising events, which last year generated almost £2,500 for Claire House Children’s Hospice, along with other company events such as Christmas and summer parties.

Last year she arranged for professional masseurs to visit the group’s head office and offer employees massages to mark National Stress Awareness Day.

Now aged 18, she said: “I love it here. There’s a nice atmosphere and everyone is very friendly. I feel proud in a way because before I came here I knew nothing about the world of work or the business itself, but I have been given things to do and it is down to me to deliver. I feel a lot more confident now and I enjoy the responsibility.

“I also like the fact that I have more independence than a lot of my friends who have stayed on at school or college. I am learning a lot of new skills and I have made some great friends, plus I have got a qualification under my belt and I am in the routine of work, which I think is important”.

In a further development, housing providers from across Greater Manchester have joined forces to maximize the opportunities for apprenticeships across their organisations.

Chief executives and senior managers from 13 registered providers pledged their support for the Foundations in Housing scheme, which combines the creation of apprenticeships with provision of training for current employees.

The scheme is funded by the UK Commission for Employment and Skills, through its Employer Ownership of Skills pilot. A successful bid was entered by the Greater Manchester chamber of commerce, which secured part of £250m funding over two years. This fund will be administered by New Charter Housing Trust Group.

City West Housing Trust will promote the scheme and provide a training and brokerage service to other registered housing providers, which will support skill development and shape training provision in the housing sector.

The program builds on the work providers are already doing to create apprenticeships and addresses both low qualifications take-up and the removal of housing-specific further-education courses for existing employees.

As individual organizations, registered providers across Greater Manchester are already delivering at least 250 apprenticeships and £15m of training. The pledge is a commitment to work together to deliver more.

Those attending a launch event signed up to three core statements:

1. 1.

   We recognize the importance of employment in creating sustainable communities and pledge our support for the Foundations in Housing scheme.

2. 2.

   We will work with each other and local businesses to build on and co-ordinate our current work in developing the skills of our employees and customers.

3. 3.

   We will create and support apprenticeships across Greater Manchester and maximise employment opportunities for all.

Derek Long, Northern Head of the National Housing Federation, said: “The federation campaigns for better housing, which must go hand in hand with better neighbourhoods. Creating opportunities for our communities is essential to improve neighbourhoods and make local economies work.

“The National Housing Federation has pledged to create 10,000 apprenticeship starts by 2016 as we recognise the need to enable members of the community to gain skills and increase their life chances. The Foundations in Housing scheme demonstrates how registered providers can work together towards delivering this commitment”.