We’ve all heard plenty on the governments push for SMEs to take on apprentices. It makes sense of course – allowing smaller businesses to increase their workforce at minimal cost, whilst in turn reducing the overall unemployment rate of young people.

Yet, from our conversations with some of the North Easts most ambitious SMEs, we hear of a much deeper benefit which arises from bringing apprentices into the team.

Apprentices often have no, or very little experience in industry. This could be viewed as a negative but can actually be very beneficial to a business. Employing a young person at apprenticeship level with an open mind and new ideas can add a strand of agility to your business, whilst providing you with the opportunity to engage with this staff member from the offset and ensure the mission and values of your business are communicated and instilled.

Imagine as an MD, a new staff member who brings with them no bad habits from previous employment, but instead settles themselves into the culture of your business naturally. Imagine them learning the skills of your business from scratch exactly how you intended, and then imagine them improving on those skills whilst providing innovative ideas to deliver a first class product or service to your customers.

There are many positives to hiring apprentices, but we’ve seen the intangible effects that these young workers have on the businesses we’ve invested in. Apprentices can bring with them a fresh approach to working, the enthusiasm to succeed and a will to learn new skills and succeed in your business. They are the next generation of leaders.

To us, hiring an apprentice makes perfect business sense.

For more information, including grants and funding available for employing an apprentice, please visit www.gov.uk