Has been hiring apprentices for years
Business development company, South London Business, was set up to support and promote business, enhance regeneration, reduce unemployment and up-skill the work force in South London.
Chief Executive of South London Business, Peter Pledger, has been employing Business and Administration apprentices for a number of years.
He says: “Our business and administration apprentices are brilliant for our business. Training is focused on our business, and the apprentice is often better and quicker at grasping what we require. Apprentices come into our organisation at basic roles but learn rapidly to move into more developed careers in the organisation. Apprenticeships are incredibly flexible, as there’s a real ‘pick n mix choice’ in frameworks. These apprenticeships then meet exactly what you need, as a business, as well as the young person’s needs. Employers should see the apprenticeship scheme as a core system for bring new people into their organisation. They have the advantage that apprenticeships have been designed and tested by other employers and you can then tailor them into your business.”
“We have had high unemployment in England for far too long but, because of that, the culture of work has been lost. What apprenticeships do is make sure people get that culture back and help people back into the world of work. If you haven’t got that business culture, like turning up to work on time or how to answer emails, then you’ll never survive in the world of work. What apprenticeships do is train you to acquire these skills.
“The apprenticeship product offers employers like me a sophisticated means of meeting those training needs with a relatively painless method. Apprenticeships aren’t corporate social responsibility. In fact, it should be a product sold on the premise that it will make your business run. It is good for business. That’s the message businesses need to get.”
“I want to see expansion. We are expanding our own business and we are moving into new areas and apprenticeships will be part of our plans. I can’t see why an employer wouldn’t employ an apprentice. The system works. I plan to employ many more business apprentices over the years.”
