Taking the hassle out of apprenticeships for the credit and collections sector

If one key message came out of the sessions run as part of the ‘people & performance’ stream at CSA’s UK Credit & Collections Conference (UKCCC) last month, it was that there is a very real concern about where the collections workforce of the future will come from. Whether it’s increased competition for top talent, high attrition due to lack of career progression, challenges around attracting people into the profession because of public perception about the industry, new ways of working, changing skill requirements, or a combination of them all, there’s clearly no ‘one size fits all’ answer to the problem for firms in the sector.

However, there is help, support and funding available which still isn’t being maximised. We are pleased to see the recent announcement from Chancellor Rishi Sunak that the Government is extending the incentives available to employers to take on new apprentices and ‘Kickstart’ recruits as part of its ‘Plan for Jobs’ but also disappointed to see the low take up for the Kickstart scheme so far, which has been blamed on a “complex, bureaucratic and slow” sign up process.

When we became an approved apprenticeship training provider back in 2017 following the introduction of the Apprenticeship Levy, our aim was to enable our members and organisations in wider sectors to utilise ring-fenced funds to up-skill their workforce in the business-critical areas that we have expertise in – credit, collections, compliance, counter-fraud, and debt advice. Five years on, we can confidently say that we have fulfilled our side of the bargain, developing top-class programmes in these specialist areas in line with approved apprenticeship standards for 100s of employers with a tangible impact on their bottom lines. We are also pleased to have helped several of our members take advantage of the Kickstart scheme to boost their post-Covid recovery strategies as a ‘gateway’ organisation. BUT, there is still a long way to go to ensure that all our member firms are making full use of these funded schemes to ensure they are not only not wasting unspent public funds, but also addressing their key business challenges and ‘giving something back’ as part of a long-term drive to make a successful career in collections as accessible and rewarding as possible.

So, what are the barriers? One thing we find when speaking to employers is the perceived administrative and management resource required to bring apprentices and Kickstart recruits on board, meet their training requirements – and keep them. It’s therefore also been a key part of our strategy as a training provider to take the hassle out of the whole process. While we work with large public sector organisations who have dedicated teams who coordinate their hundreds of apprentices across a wide range of disciplines, we also support smaller firms in finding solutions that work for them. What we find is that these smaller employers are often surprised by not only how easy the process can be but how much the apprentice and the wider workforce benefits from the outside perspective and support we bring as a free resource to their business. They are also often unaware of the full range of financial incentives available, from one-off payments for taking on a new apprentice, to not having to make NI contributions for apprentices under the age of 25.

In fact, even the larger public sector employers tell us that, as a niche provider offering standards in our area of industry expertise, we make the whole process much easier and smoother for them than the larger generalists who don’t necessarily understand what their individual apprentices are trying to achieve within their own roles/careers, their departments, and the wider organisational context.

The truth is that implementing schemes like apprenticeships and Kickstart does require some concerted effort on behalf of employers to work with us as the training provider to get the most out of it and do their bit to support the staff involved but, the return on investment over the long term is usually way beyond their forecasts/expectations. Successful apprentices and ‘Kickstarters’ tend to go on to be some of the most willing, able, agile team members, and often become ambassadors for an organisation that has invested in their careers. In comparison to many other routes to ‘future proofing’ your business, this is undoubtedly one of the cheapest and most effective.

Our years of experience as both a trade association and training provider, and our highly skilled dedicated learning & development team, are here to help take the administrative and delivery burden away so that employers can reap the full benefits with the least possible up-front investment. After all, in the current climate, even just one highly trained team member who has learnt ‘on the job’ within your organisation is worth their weight in gold.

For those who are still not sold, we have a bank of case study examples showing how others have/are benefitting and we have resources/guides on getting started with both apprenticeships and the Kickstart scheme. With time ticking to make the most of the once-in-a-generation funding available, now is the time to find out more:

CSA Kickstart Scheme

Find out more about CSA Apprenticeships

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