Remember switchboard operators, typists, encyclopaedia sellers and video store staff- all roles that once employed vast numbers of people and now no longer exist.
Vloggers, bloggers and digital marketing staff- all jobs that didn’t exist not so long ago but now play a crucial role in our society.
We live in rapidly changing times; we work longer hours and work to a much older age. People rarely have one career now throughout their lives, even if those careers still exist.
Getting older and working longer hours makes undertaking night classes, online learning or attending college/university extremely unpractical.
So, what can we do to ensure that as we get older, we are able to stay relevant and employable in this modern working world?
For me, the answer is lifelong learning.
This is offered to us in the form of apprenticeships, which these days cover nearly every job role out there, going from entry level to MBA’s, all of which are provided in an economical, accessible and practical manner.
In order to finance this larger organisations may pay into a levy, which is a fund used purely for apprenticeships; however, smaller organisations are mainly funded by the government, due to their strong belief in lifelong learning, but they are still required to pay 10% of the costs.
Employers have the option to either up-skill current staff or recruit new apprentices. Many companies choose to up-skill current staff as recruitment can be expensive and risky. A benefit of upskilling current staff is that they already know how the business works and they feel comfortable there. As well as this they already possess many of the skills required for the new role.
Another benefit to upskilling current staff is that all training is completed during the working day over the course of the qualification, which is normally between 1 to 3 years.
There are many myths surrounding apprenticeships. The main one being that they are aimed at 16-18 year olds who haven’t done well at school. Not true, it really is suitable for all ages and levels, hence why you can do Management qualifications, degrees and MBA’s.
Another myth is that you only get paid £3.90 an hour- again this isn’t true, and this is the very minimum that an apprentice can be paid. Most apprentices are just normal employees and remain on their normal salary throughout their training.
This is the reason why at 54 I am just about to undertake my first degree in Management, spread across two years. I will conduct my training in the workplace and around my normal working life and spend 1 week on campus three times a year, for each year of my qualification.
I have worked as a senior manager for most of my career, responsible for strategic development and looking after large numbers of staff and by undertaking this apprenticeship, it is showing that I do as I say and I look forward to cementing knowledge I already have and learning new skills.
If you think you are like me and would benefit from updating your skills, please get in-touch.
Tel: 0141 280 0265
Email: [email protected]
