--- # A quick take --- ## Who for?  --- ### The main challenge for employers in the knowledge economy --- ### This year, it's the economic cycle  --- #### Software developer apprenticeships | Month | Starts | | -------- | --------: | | Feb 2022 | 110 | | Feb 2023* | 34 | (*latest available month) --- ### But when things pick up... Why should the employer take all the risk and expense of training an apprentice when their investment can just walk out of the door? --- ## A case for low-wage apprenticeships? --- If a small employer is committed to offering support and progression and positively wants to widen opportunities to those with less experience or fewer qualifications, then a lower initial salary might be the only way to make it a viable proposition for them. --- ## What works for us - A challenging application process - Extended application support for everyone - Targeted support for some - Foundation programme (Skills Bootcamp) - Front-loaded apprenticeship training - Hiring our own apprentices --- ### Hiring our own apprentices? We have just hired two apprentices. We will train them and then employ them in the classroom before supporting them to transfer their apprenticeship to another company (if they want to!). This introdues some risk for us, but it considerably de-risks the apprenticeship for their future employer. --- We are considering extending this new apprentice hiring strategy beyond our immediate needs as a way to make apprenticeships more attractive to employers, but we are proceeding with caution. This is getting quite close to what a "Flexi-job" apprenticeship looks like.