From Turnover to Thriving…5 Apprenticeship Essentials
by Thomas Schultz, CLA Talent Solutions
This vlog is part of CLA’s Manufacturing Leadership Series…From Turnover to Thriving. Labor is top of mind for manufacturers and one source of skilled employees is apprenticeships. In this vlog, you’ll find out how an apprenticeship program can help you recruit, build and retain an experienced workforce – and how this ‘earn and learn’ strategy can integrate into your current HR development programs.
Many manufacturing companies are developing talent in their workforce through apprenticeships. Why? Apprentices are sticky.
Apprenticeships combine paid on-the-job training, with classroom instruction, to prepare future employees for highly-skilled careers. Today, apprenticeship programs exists in over 1,000 occupations, including advanced manufacturing and logistics.
Two Paths to Potential
A traditional talent acquisition strategy is to hire high school juniors or seniors for a one or two-year apprenticeship. During the apprenticeship, the student continues toward high school graduation, while also taking courses related to the profession that further enhances skills learned on the job.
While this approach helps prepare the next generation of employees, another path to apprenticeship considers career changers, people who have work experience but have decided to invest in training to learn a new career.
No matter the path, apprenticeships are an attractive model for growth. While preparing apprentices for good-paying jobs, apprenticeship programs help employers recruit, build, and retain a highly-skilled workforce: 90% of those employees retain employment after apprenticeship completion, and apprentice graduates earn more over their lifetime compared to peers who do not participate.
Elements of a Successful Apprenticeship Program
To help apprentices jump start their careers, hone their skills, learn from professionals, and build their future, consider offering these five essentials:
- Plan and Structure: Determine the skills framework and length of your program. Employers that balance formal and practical learning are among the most successful at retaining the apprentice long term. Is your program a time-based model, where the apprentice completes a target number of classroom hours along with on-the-job training over the course of a year (or more)? Is the program skill-based, where an apprentice completes a specified amount of training hours and passes a practical skill test? Whatever the approach, more effective programs are better at defining skill and performance milestones that define what success looks like.
- Experience: The type of experience an apprentice has in your program can influence their opinion and willingness to make your company part of their future. Ask yourself: “Why would an apprentice enroll in our program?” Many potential apprentices want to break into new careers and develop new skills. Others want to explore different options after high school and are considering the reputation of the company and the potential of a future there. Your program should show them firsthand the benefits of learning on the job and staying with your company after they finish the program.
- Brand: Successful apprenticeships result from more than hanging banners at recruiting fairs. Your active engagement, not just presence, at events can give potential apprentices a peek into your company culture. They are watching how you are connecting with them, assessing how you might engage them once they are on the job. Engaging in conversations that encourage potential participants to ask questions is essential.
- Support: Apprentices appreciate and respond to strong support after they start. Given their relative inexperience, your ability to turn the “unfamiliar” to “familiar” is key. Things like structure and communication channels help support a connection with the apprentice. Help them get clear direction on projects, processes, timelines, expectations, and deadlines – and their role in each.
- Technology: To improve the pace of learning, invest in tools that make it as easy as possible to learn both in classroom and on-the-job training. Offer messaging platforms that keep them connected.
If you’re exploring apprenticeship as a strategy to find skilled workers, this ‘earn and learn’ flexible training strategy easily can integrate into your current HR development strategies. Like to develop a program? CLA can help with that. Let’s talk.
Jennifer Clement is an executive sales and marketing leader specializing in value creation for the C-suite. In her current role at CLA, Jennifer collaborates on strategy with executives of global manufacturing and distribution companies to accelerate results. Previously Jennifer served as a Global Business Acceleration Leader for Complete Manufacturing and Distribution (CMD). During her time with CMD, Jennifer lived and worked in Asia from 2015-2019. Prior to CMD, she spent 10 years in senior care technology. Jennifer started her career at Johnson Controls (JCI) and spent nine years in leadership roles; followed by five years at Rockwell Automation (ROK) leading c-suite strategy and marketing operations.
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