3 ways apprentices can help your organisation recover, reinvent and rebuild

As we mark one year since Covid-19 disrupted all our lives, here at Coach Core we’re starting to think about how the community sport sector can come back stronger than before. We absolutely recognise that many organisations are going through deeply difficult times right now, and the next 6-months are going to be make or break. But we also see an opportunity here, for reinvention, for taking this reset and making something positive from it. We can all come back stronger than before, more resilient and more prepared for a decade that it is going to look very different from the one that came before.

In line with Sport England’s strategy, now is the time to recover, reinvent and rebuild.
Here at Coach Core we strongly believe that the majority of community-facing sport and physical activity providers will see significant benefits from bringing an apprentice into their workforce. We’ve worked with over 150 employers for over 9 years now, helping them bring in apprentices, with hugely successful results.

1. Recover

“We see this as a positive step in developing the resource to support local need.”

Apprentices are a great value way to add capacity to your workforce, allowing you to meet the increase in provision over the coming months. Hiring casual coaches is flexible, but more expensive than an apprentice, and can be more time-consuming as you deal with regular turnover of staff. Hiring an apprentice means you bring in someone who can work across a range of areas, including admin, staffing events, social media etc – and that flexibility is going to be helpful as we all rebuild. Plus, if you bring on a Coach Core apprentice, we offer a grant towards some of the cost of their wages, which is in addition to the government’s contribution.

Nervous about the education, the funding or the red tape? Totally understandable, but we, and our wider support network, are absolutely on hand  to go through that with you and ensure a positive experience all round.

2. Reinvent

Many organisations have been able to find some good in disruption the pandemic has brought, whether that’s taking the opportunity to upskill staff through training and qualifications, rolling out new services or, as we all have, leaning into the digital transformation and moving much of their way of working online.

“The pandemic has brought about the increased learning of virtual platforms of engagement, the importance of these and how to use them more effectively moving forward into a new era.”

Apprentices should be part of that reinvention. Young and – by definition – keen to learn, they are the perfect way to ensure your workforce is being updated with the latest thinking (from their training), and with enquiring, energetic minds. Plus, evidence shows that a diverse workforce brings increased creativity and an improved ability to serve local needs, which can aid competitive advantage. Hiring an apprentice will allow you to diversify your coaching workforce whilst also better understanding and responding to the needs of your local communities.

3. Rebuild

Young apprentices will bring a different way of looking at the world to your organisation. Fresh eyes, fresh ideas and perhaps more ability to adapt and pivot in a changing world. Employing an apprentice will bring in staff who can more easily relate to the young people they coach, and who can provide the ideas and resource to do the hard yards of rebuilding.

“We feel that the apprentices bring a huge amount of fresh ideas to our organisation, they have different skills and perceptions which in turn allow ideas to develop that may not have previously.”

Furthermore, in comparison to casual coaches, an apprentice will bring consistency and reliability across your operations as they are employed for close to full-time hours. They will develop a much deeper understanding of your business’ goals and values, and you can shape and develop them to be the type of workforce you need right now. All that means a higher quality of work and greater commitment to your cause.

Social Impact

And whilst all of the above has been about how an apprentice can help your business, there’s one other factor to consider – building a better society. The generation of young people coming to working age right now are going to be hardest hit by the pandemic – and difficulty getting jobs now will have an impact on their whole career. Furthermore, we know that crises like these only widen inequality gaps. Organisations like yourself can help to battle that. Bringing on a Coach Core apprentice means you are providing an opportunity for someone who might otherwise be left behind, and, by having an apprentice as part of your workforce, you are helping create a relatable role-model for the communities in which they work. You can help change a life, and have a positive ripple effect on the community around you. What’s not to love?

Next Steps

Maybe you’re thinking to yourself ‘an apprentice sounds great, but I don’t have the time to learn how to bring one into the organisation’ – well, don’t worry, that’s where we can help! Coach Core have been in the apprenticeships game for 9 years now, working with small (and large) organisations to bring apprentices on board.

Since our beginnings in 2012, we’ve been about supporting the employers as much as the young people so that you can simply provide great places of employment and reap the benefits of working with your apprentice. Not only can we help guide you through all the admin, we’ll also provide a grant to cover some of the costs of an apprentice, and set you up with a group of other organisations in your area also hiring apprentices so you can share problems and resources. This is where we are so different; because we are not a training provider and only want the very best for our partners and the apprentices, you can rest assured that we will provide transparent, clear advice and multiple levels of support every step of the way. 

We are always looking to work in new areas, with new employers.
If you’d like to register your interest, or have any questions, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us: