National Apprenticeship Week: Five reasons why now is the time for employers to invest in apprenticeships
Posted on: 10th Feb 2025
Apprenticeships 
Sorcha Murphy, Business Development Manager at Ignite Training, sets the scene for National Apprenticeship Week and why training represents an opportunity for businesses
Apprenticeships delivered today are entirely unrecognisable to historical vocational training provisions – and National Apprenticeship Week is the perfect opportunity to celebrate this.
Assumptions that apprenticeships only serve a purpose to young people and are delivered in limited sectors are gradually becoming thought processes of the past.
Even so, many employers continue to view apprenticeships as a burden and not an opportunity.
With businesses facing increased financial pressures and staff retention challenges, there has genuinely never been a better time to consider how apprenticeships can transform the functionality and capability of your employees.
Here are five simple reasons why we believe this to be the case.
- Offset National Insurance rises
Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced in October employers’ National Insurance Contributions will rise to 15% on a worker’s earnings above £175 from April – generating £25bn a year.
The move will add approximately 2% to employers’ pay roll costs.
However, apprentices aged 23 or younger are exempt from Class One National Insurance contributions, adding to the existing financial value of introducing vocational training to your existing teams.
- Strengthen staff retention
Feeling undervalued is one of the top reasons people choose to leave their roles, in addition to the lure of a better salary, new opportunities and a career change.
Apprenticeships deliver all the above, so it should be no surprise to anyone that 69% of employers say employing apprentices helped to improve staff retention
Amid significant recruitment challenges, prioritising your existing staff and their job satisfaction should be a key priority for any organisation.
- FREE training
You read that correctly – FREE training!
Since April 2024, non-levy paying employers (and levy-paying employers without sufficient funds) are not required to pay anything for training and assessment costs.
It means costs associated with modern-day apprenticeships only extend to supporting employee wages, which you’re likely to be paying anyway assuming your apprentice is an existing member of the team.
- Address key skills gaps
There is a critical skills shortage in the UK right now.
A third of vacancies advertised are available as a direct result of skills shortages and 90% of critical roles (jobs in industries which contribute to significant economic growth) will require training.
Apprenticeships, particularly in their new short format, help address this. You can read my colleague Neville Algar’s detailed column on this topic here.
- Invest in your team’s future
As our planned content this week will showcase, apprenticeships serve a fantastic purpose to young professionals beginning their career, those looking to change careers and even the most experienced workers.
At Ignite Training, we believe there is an apprenticeship out there for everyone regardless of their role or level of experience.
In summary
If there’s one takeout everyone can obtain from National Apprenticeship Week this year, it’s that apprenticeships unlock new opportunities for employers and employees alike.
It’s time for perceptions that apprenticeships add another layer of red tape to the functionality of a business to be binned.
Invest, develop, excel!
Sorcha Murphy, Business Development Manager at Ignite Training.
