Scott Barclay works as part of Acas’s Communications team. He is currently midway through his qualification and has recently worked on multiple articles for Acas’s LinkedIn page.
My name is Scott and I am 9 months into an 18-month apprenticeship within the Acas Communications team. As an apprentice I’m considering available work opportunities and how the skills that I’ve picked up so far will support me in the future.
It so happens that the theme for National Apprenticeship Week this year is ‘Skills for Life’. This is notable for its clear focus on reinforcing the idea that apprenticeships set up those that choose to do them for future success.
The Department for Education has chosen this theme to further emphasise the need for transferable skills. This is not only to benefit apprentices and the companies that operate them, but to strengthen the industries that are experiencing challenges as a direct result of lack of skilled employees here in the UK.
Apprenticeships are becoming more popular
According to the most recent findings published on GOV.UK, apprenticeships are becoming more popular generally across the board, at least in England. Data accumulated from August 2023 to July 2024 indicates a distinguishable upturn in most areas of apprenticeship related findings.
339,580 people started apprenticeships during this period, marking a 0.7% increase albania phone number library from the previous year’s total. This is a positive trajectory, but it doesn’t show the full picture or why apprenticeships are necessary for addressing the widely documented skills gap that continues to impact UK workforces.
What the ‘skills gap’
The term ‘skills gap’ is used to refer to the difference in workplace expectation and the results that can realistically be produced by staff.
Last year, the British Chambers of Commerce published research germany cell number in partnership with the Open University with the aim of properly analysing the UK skills gap and what can be done to help close it.
Arguably, the most prominent finding mentioned in the document is the 10 tallest towers in the world that 62% of UK organisations are currently facing skills shortages. This directly affects organisations by:
limiting potential growth
upping costs across the board
generally negatively influencing output
68% of organisations surveyed agree that the skills gap requires pre-existing staff to work extra hard to cover areas they don’t necessarily know how to accurately manage. Productivity levels fall alongside staff morale and motivation. As a result, the UK is now falling behind in terms of business growth and prosperity when compared to all other G7 countries.
