An organization irrespective of its industry thrives because of its people. And with globalization, we can see how organizations are now doing cross border trades with an amalgamation of culture, economy, and population. Hence, organizations are no more local, but they act globally thus bringing in a paradigm shift in its culture and people. And it’s a no brainer that with the rise of globalization, we can see a steady rise in global competitiveness. With continuously evolving technologies and better infrastructure at their disposal, organizations can now compete with each other on the global platform.
This interdependence of the countries for global competitiveness has brought in strategic human resources into the limelight and turned attention to how this critical function rises to the occasion.
Also Read: Lack of Awareness on apprenticeship and reforms in hiring benchmarks
Turning the game: Leveraging HR for competitive advantage through apprenticeship
Getting employees ready for bigger challenges and making them competitive lies in a Company’s training strategy. One important facet of this strategy which is gaining ground of late is the emergence of apprenticeships as not just a hiring strategy but also a way to fill the talent pipeline.
Gartner defines apprenticeships as a system of training and development across the enterprise on the skills and competencies of critical roles with on-the-job training. They are a valuable tool for organizations looking to move individuals to a new career, even if it’s within the same business unit or group.
The benefits of training and upskilling one’s employees through upskilling cannot be over-emphasized. Apprenticeship provides an incredible opportunity to develop one’s own people who come with certain specialisations. With the Government’s support and different apprenticeship programs in place, more and more organizations are embracing and leveraging the apprenticeship programs and skilling their employees in-house. The biggest benefit of having a dedicated apprenticeship program is to earn employee loyalty while getting one’s workforce future-ready to perform in this competitive world. When an organization invests in staff training, employees feel more fulfilled and satisfied in their job role. They feel important and know exactly how they are going to contribute to the overall growth of the organization.
Are you game to gain competitive advantage through an apprenticeship program?
Here are 6 easy steps to kickstart a reimagined apprenticeship program
- Choose an appealing name: Choose a name that conveys the goal of the program instead of just calling it an apprenticeship program.
- Get the right leader: It could be a senior employee or an external resource who trains the employees. No matter what, the person should have business acumen and should be passionate about making the program a success.
- Make the program aspirational: Not just the name, but make it a buzz word on the floor. Employees should feel privileged to be a part of this upskilling program.
- Determine the apprenticeship skill: Note down the skills that you want your employees to learn and validate them with the respective business units. Don’t forget to get the leadership to sponsor the initiative.
- Identify the apprentices: Identify the apprentices who need to be upskilled through a special program. These could depend on various factors – their willingness to learn, their record, the business needs, and lot more.
- Create milestones: Keep a track of the program as it runs and set milestones to measure success. Evaluate the effectiveness of the program and then tweak it accordingly.
Apprenticeship is the only way forward for organizations to upskill and get their employees future-ready to gain an advantage in the competitive market.
