Apprenticeships that are business-focused can give you the edge. So why not use the Apprenticeship Levy to develop your managers and leaders?

There’s already been plenty of noise made about the Apprenticeship Levy. Despite this, there’s still a significant number of managers and business owners who manage staff but won’t be making use of the levy.

A recent study found that one of the biggest factors behind this was that these business figures either didn’t see the worth in apprenticeships or didn’t believe there were any available for their industry. Indeed, a total of 43% thought there were no apprenticeships offered for roles within their industry which, sadly (or gladly – depending on how you look at it) simply isn’t true.

Many people seem to be stuck in the way of thinking that apprenticeships are solely for school leavers looking for a career in a manual trade.

Many people seem unaware of apprenticeships for ‘higher ups’ in businesses – think senior levels of staff, from team leaders to supervisors and departmental managers. In truth, there’s plenty of options out there for employees hoping to expand their skillsets, open up career choices and bring real value to their business.

Here are two great apprenticeships that are perfect for employees hoping to bolster their skills and take the next step in their career.

Level 3 Apprenticeship in Leadership and Management

If you want to develop your skills as a manager and get the most out of yourself and your team, this apprenticeship could be a great option. You may have no formal training and would like to supplement your innate leadership skills with something that’s both a formal qualification and deeply beneficial.

This apprenticeship allows you to further your understanding of what it is to manage a team by using theory and practical sessions – from coaching, support and development to organisational skills, such as time and workload management.

This will help you enrich your team with the skills they need to grow into their roles and perform to their best ability – ultimately making your business more successful. This ‘vicarious learning’ is just one of the many secondary benefits of apprenticeships, and potentially something the launch of the apprenticeship scheme failed to illustrate.

Apprenticeships such as these are easily tailored to your personal needs as well as what your business demands are. As such, the courses are usually quite flexible as the aim is to help you get the results you want.

Level 5 Apprenticeship in Leadership and Management

This apprenticeship is for senior-level employees, such as those working in operations or as departmental heads – but it can also be perfect for business owners hoping to give their skillset an edge. It allows you to build upon your existing, and likely well-formed, management skills and to hone your leadership skills even further.

Ultimately, the goal of the apprenticeship is to help senior-level employees continue to develop their skills within an academic framework, and with monitored practical work. Couple this with the fact you’ll be learning from expert trainers and feeling the benefits of one-on-one tuition sessions, and you’re well on your way to better coaching, more effective operation plans and much more.

Apprenticeships such as these can mark a new era in your personal development and help you understand not just your business and colleagues around you, but how you can have a profound impact on them. Whilst there’s sometimes no substitute for life experience, a solid understanding of theory coupled with thoughtful, practical tasks can help give you the edge in this ultra-competitive world.

So, if you’re thinking about taking the next step and unlocking further potential, why not consider a business-focussed apprenticeship?