In National Apprenticeship Week, H&H Group Plc HR Manager, Margaret Irving, explains why apprenticeships are key to success for the company and its future stars.
H&H Group has always been committed to apprenticeships as an ideal route to developing the talents of the next generation who will carry the company into the future. The Group employs over 300 people across our seven businesses, and a proportion of this total is made up of young people currently on an apprenticeship scheme, and former apprentices now building great careers in a wide range of different roles.
The diversity of our business operations within the Group means we can offer apprenticeships that lead to professional careers as Livestock and Machinery Auctioneers, Valuers, Chartered Surveyors, Property and Estate Agents, Commercial Printers, Graphic Designers, Digital Marketeers, Insurance Brokers, and Administrators.
That’s a very broad choice of opportunities for young people who might not be in a position to, or prefer not to, take the traditional route via university or college in order to qualify for these jobs. Full time academic study doesn’t suit all, and getting a degree takes a minimum of three years and leaves most graduates with a hefty student debt. So being paid as you learn as an apprentice can be a very sensible and attractive alternative.
On the other hand, an apprenticeship will not suit everybody, and we take a great deal of care to select the right candidates and make sure they understand exactly what it entails. Doing an apprenticeship is not an easy option and it isn’t a quick win. Apprentices need to work hard and learn while they work, and they also need to complete their professional courses and qualifications.
Our apprentices also need to accept that, while they have been chosen to do a worthwhile job as a member of the team, they are learning while they earn, and apprenticeship levels of pay reflect that we are investing in their long term training and development. There may be cynical employers out there who use apprenticeships as a form of cheap labour, but we are most definitely not one of them.
H&H Group is looking for apprentices with the enthusiasm and ability to fill a post capably from the outset, and with the passion and potential to achieve their qualifications and grow with us. When I interview applicants for an apprenticeship in one of our businesses today, I’m looking for someone who we can help develop into a leader, or a supervisor, or a director tomorrow. That’s the crucial factor that makes apprenticeships such an important and valuable path for us as a business, and for our apprentices.
An apprenticeship at H&H Group is a partnership. We are investing in their potential to succeed in their own career and at the same time in our business, and because apprentices usually begin at an early age, they join us as a blank canvas. So our apprenticeship scheme allows us to mentor young people and help them share our values.
For me, that makes the apprenticeship journey incredibly rewarding. It is an absolute privilege to see someone progress through the company, sometimes all the way from work experience right through to becoming a qualified company accountant, or a land agent, or a team supervisor. The quality of any business is based on the quality of its people, and for H&H Group our apprentices demonstrate that in a unique and special way.
One such person who has progressed his career through an apprenticeship is 27 year old Cameron Johnston who is now an Account Handler with H&H Insurance Brokers. Cameron joined H&H Insurance Brokers in February 2017 when he was 21, leaving his previous position in retail to take the opportunity to change direction.
“My apprenticeship with H&H has been a perfect route to a new career. It’s given me work experience and qualifications, and I have been earning while learning on the job. Initially I was given admin jobs then while moving on with my insurance studies I started on farm motors, then went on to personal lines insurance and now I have just moved into the farm department and have become a dedicated farm insurance handler for one of the executives. The next stage is to move up to the next level, achieve my insurance diploma and begin completing insurance sales.
“H&H have supported me all the way, with a dedicated mentor helping me to overcome challenges and keep me on track. I really enjoy my job and the team I work with make hard days much easier! It’s been a great experience to get to the position when I’m dealing with clients and coming to a conclusion which supports both the client and our own company.
“My advice to anyone else thinking of the apprenticeship route is: Give it a go. As soon as you start you develop skills from the outset, even when you don’t realise it. And grasp any opportunity!”
Almost six months ago, Sasha Thomson started her Customer Service Specialist Apprenticeship with H&H Reeds, the Group’s Print, Web Design and Digital Marketing business. "I found an apprenticeship appealing because I wanted to start a career not just a job, and an apprenticeship gives you the building blocks for this. I was attracted to work at H&H Reeds initially as I have a lot of experience in customer facing roles and I studied illustration at university so I have some knowledge of print.
“Right from the word go I have enjoyed working at H&H Reeds because the people are lovely and the work is both interesting and challenging. The apprenticeship offers me a good variety of work and I enjoy the satisfaction of a job well done, and it’s given me a great foundation of experience in customer service which is transferable to other industries wherever life takes me in the future.”