Have you ever thought about how much L&D is like surfing? You have waves after waves to choose from, which ones do you go for? The big, glory wins, or lots of little ones that may tire you out? It can be the most thrilling, exciting journey, or may come crashing down around you. And that's not even going near the location which may house sharks or jelly fish, but you are in their playground so have to take the risk.
This came to mind at a Breakfast meeting today, run by an external company, on the subject of apprentices. It seems I am still riding the waves of improving engagement, mindfulness awareness and inductions and along came Apprenticeships. Now when I say "along came" I realise these are not new by any means, but we have been slow on the uptake. I suspect due to the resource involved and the fickle nature that comes with an apprenticeship programme, especially if not run correctly. But thanks to the new government levy that companies can gain from recruiting apprentices, the subject has reached new audiences, and CEOs are now interested and fast tracking this topic to the top of their agenda. This is great news! If you enjoy riding the waves.
It seems, from what I heard this morning, that many companies have worked laboriously to get this right, but at the same time are much larger organisations than the one I work for, and typically have a history of success with school leaver programmes, for example solicitors, accountants and IT roles. So this has got me thinking. Can you run a successful programme without having the dedicated resource for it? And if so what can you do to make sure its a success, without losing control of the other waves you're riding? The speaker today was Head of Apprenticeships programmes, so clearly her role focuses on the topic at hand. I don't have that luxury. Nor do I want to have the waves crashing around me, or worse, a shark attack! But I still feel we can, and need, to offer a fabulous programme to school leavers.
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