Bristol is full of brilliant outreach projects – award-winning wildlife film company Silverback Films held an insight day on July 24th, Fiasco Design are working with Noods Levels on a design project called Tracking, and next week the Werkshop Weekender opens to applicants – it’s managed by Halo with a group of top agencies involved. And the BCI Internship programme with Babbasa is celebrating its half-way point
The new government aims to strengthen the way people are employed, and also move from a shareholder to a stakeholder economy – with staff, clients, management and the wider culture of the city as players. We all recognise that we’re only as good as our staff, and how involved they feel is key to performance.
The challenge for companies is to become places of learning as well as doing – we rely on people who work fast, but describing how you work to someone with less experience (such as an apprentice) really opens up your own thinking, as well as getting a wider range of brains engaged in the project.
Where do apprenticeships fit? They can be the way to get new thinking and lived experience into your company – whether it’s at entry-level or more mature. (The Chartered Institute of Personnel & Development states that 50% of apprentices are over 25)
They are a great means of developing your current staff into new roles – you can get training costs covered through the Levy Share scheme operated by Western Training Providers Network
Large companies from BAE Systems to Thatchers Cider find that apprentices outcompete their graduate intake, having been treated as stakeholders in the company, and developing within the company culture.
BUT the elephant in the room is how you find the right people to achieve this nirvana, when you are a microbusiness constantly pitching for new work. Anyone who works in apprenticeships in our industry knows recruitment is a real struggle, and that’s shown clearly in the poll. There’s no lack of enthusiasm, but a real limit to the time and networks available to recruit.
SO maybe all those engagement programmes could have an apprenticeship as the end goal, organised and funded, with the apprentice provided with a buddy (a great way to develop junior staff) as well as a managerial-level mentor?
In October we’ll take this thinking forward – if you’re interested then do contact Paul Appleby [email protected] or Katie Green [email protected]
VID is a consultancy run by Paul Appleby, developing collaborations in creative technology and promoting the region nationally.
