AS Training aims to more than double apprenticeship numbers

AS Training aims to more than double the number of apprentices it has, as more employers realise the benefits of the training schemes and more programmes become available.

 

Michelle Van Sprang, managing director at AS Training, said her company typically has 200 or so apprentices, who are usually on their programmes for 12 or 18 months, depending on the apprenticeship.

 

“I might be being ambitious, but I feel like we should be hitting that magic 500 mark,” she told a Travel Weekly webcast.

 

Van Sprang was speaking at Gold Medal’s head office in Leyland, ahead of a graduation ceremony for apprentices, with the event hosted and sponsored by the B2B operator.

 

Simon Applebaum, Gold Medal managing director, admitted his firm had been “embarrassingly slow” to recognise the value of apprentices – but it has just seen success with its first cohort of six and now plans to take on more.

 

“I daren’t think how much [I have paid] in apprenticeship levy over the past few years, and never really saw it as a pathway for us,” he told the webcast.

 

“Then, attending events with Michelle and knowing Michelle with her Gold Medal history, at some point last year, the penny dropped.

 

“We have got a recruitment challenge: with a large business, we need a lot of early careers people, and, at some point, it just clicked.

 

“We brought in our first cohort earlier this year, and they’ve really thrived, with Michelle’s guidance and partnership with AS.”

He added: “We are already planning when our intake will be for next year and the years beyond, because it is a model that works fantastically, both economically and in terms of what it brings to us as a business.”

He said the six apprentices are in the sales centre but with AS Training developing different apprenticeships, and other Gold Medal departments showing an interest, future apprentices could be in other parts of the business.

 

Applebaum admitted there had been “preconceptions” about the age and travel experience of the recent cohort, but noted: “What we quickly realised was that, after three to four months in a training environment, there was no discernible difference in what they’re capable of [compared] to anybody else that we would take who was new to travel.”

He said the apprenticeship levy made the scheme financially “really attractive”, adding: “There is a willing pipeline of people who are looking for apprenticeship opportunities, so it comes together to be a really easy and straightforward way for us.”

 

Van Sprang agreed some employers had preconceptions that taking on young apprentices will be hard work and time-consuming but highlighted that those ideas are now being replaced with the “positives”.

 

“You have got young energy, passionate, they are like sponges – they soak it up,” she said.

“Your apprentices are thriving and eager to get in and learn each month.

 

“Once one organisation sees one [with] success, they follow, and then they see the success. There’s definitely a lot more people I’d love to have on board.”

She said there are opportunities to develop training for management and marketing, and do more with sustainability, for which AS Training has recently launched a new programme.

 

Furthermore, there are now shorter durations for seasonal roles such as baggage handlers and cabin crew.

 

And she noted how there is a high retention rate for apprentices, as employers want to keep staff on after having invested in their training.

 

Applebaum agreed, saying: “Because we sell a complex product, we need staff to stay for three years in order for the training, effort and energy we put into them to be repaid.”