Apprenticeships are a great option for people looking to progress their career or move into a new career path. They can provide vital development for employers looking to recruit or to upskill existing employees, allowing them to develop a skilled, motivated workforce.
There’s a wide range of apprenticeship programmes available, with new standards being approved every year to meet emerging sector needs and close industry-wide skills gaps. For example, the Level 4 Protective Security Advisers apprenticeship standard was just recently approved for delivery, with SFJ Awards being the End-Point Assessment organisation (EPAO).
As an Ofqual-approved EPAO, at SFJ Awards we’re big advocates for apprenticeships. We see first-hand how important they are to our public services and the value that apprenticeship programmes bring to employers.
Below we share what we see as the top five benefits of apprenticeships for employers in the public sector and protective service – but we wanted an employer perspective as well, so we invited Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service to give us some of their insights too.
1. Succession planning
Apprenticeships provide a structured pathway for developing a skilled and competent workforce that is tailored to the specific needs of public sector and protective service roles. By training individuals from the ground up, employers can ensure that apprentices gain the exact knowledge, behaviours, and competencies required for their roles.
This approach not only helps fill current skills gaps, but also supports longer-term succession planning by preparing the next generation of professionals to step into critical positions as experienced staff require and move on.
We recently shared a compelling example of this through our case study with Tim Graham, who began his career as a firefighter apprentice with County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Service. Through the Level 3 Operational Firefighter apprenticeship, Tim was able to build his skills and demonstrate his capabilities on the job. His apprenticeship laid the foundation for his progression to Crew Manager, a leadership role that involves managing operational incidents and support community engagement.
Tim’s journey illustrates how apprenticeships can be a launchpad for long-term career development and leadership within fire and rescue services, ensuring that organisations are equipped with capable and confident leaders for the future.
Ashley Roberts, Apprenticeship Manager at Merseyside says:
“Successful apprentices often remain within MFRS and climb through roles from firefighter to crew, watch or station managers, backed by structured training and development pathways.
“Apprenticeships are also used throughout the service to develop and progress existing staff in areas such as coaching, HR and procurement.”
2. Cost-effective recruitment
Recruiting and training new staff can be expensive, with the average cost at £1,500 per new employee in 2022. And this cost can be even higher in sectors where specialist skills are required, which is often the case in roles within the public sector and protective services.
Apprenticeships offer a more cost-effective alternative by allowing employers to invest in workforce development, while often benefitting from funding and financial incentives. This reduces the overall cost of recruitment and training, while also ensuring that new employees are aligned with the organisation’s values and operational standards from the start.
3. Increased staff retention and loyalty
When individuals are given the opportunity to learn and grow within an organisation, they are more likely to feel valued and committed to their employer.
Apprenticeships create a sense of belonging and purpose, which can lead to higher levels of job satisfaction and loyalty to an organisation. In turn, this helps reduce staff turnover, which is particularly important in public services where community and experience are vital to maintaining high standards of service delivery.
“Apprenticeships fill many key roles in an organisation,” comments Ashley. “MFRS respond to around 18,000 incidents every year, supported by apprentices across operational and support roles.
“Which is why it’s vital that they feel involved, and that they receive high-quality learning opportunities. OFSTED graded our apprenticeship delivery as ‘outstanding’ in personal development, and highlighted our apprentices’ engagement in advanced topics and skills beyond standard training.
“All of this helps makes sure that not only will it hopefully make them want to stay within the service, but that whilst they are here they are as skilled and ready as they can be to respond.”
But apprenticeships not only increase retention within an organisation, they also increase retention across the sector. By ensuring that attractive routes in public services are available through apprenticeships, the protective services ensure that the skills and development invested into the workforce stay within the sector. One such example is Loren Sims, who went from contact handler to front-line policing. Find out more about Loren’s story.
4. Promotes diversity and inclusion
Apprenticeship programmes are designed to attract a wide range of candidates, including those who may not have followed traditional academic routes into work. This opens up opportunities for individuals from diverse backgrounds to enter public sector and protective service careers.
By broadening access in this way, employers can build a more inclusive workforce that better reflects the communities they serve, which in turn can enhance public trust and engagement with public sector services.
In addition, it brings experience from other sectors into a siloed workforce . Real-life experience from working in other sectors and operating in alternative environments can bring fresh knowledge and perspectives to their organisation.
Ashely adds: “Our apprenticeship programme supports recruitment diversity across the service and for our apprenticeship programme. We have worked to attract under-represented groups via workshops, inclusive hiring practices, and mentoring, supported by the apprentices themselves.”
This benefit was highlighted for us during National Apprenticeship Week when we uncovered the stories of two women who joined Sussex Police as Community Support Officers through apprenticeships. The two apprentices were a wonderful example of how policing is becoming more inclusive and rapidly emerging as a career destination of choice for women and girls.
5. Supports community engagement and social value
Investing in apprenticeships demonstrates a clear commitment to supporting local communities. By offering meaningful employment and training opportunities, public sector organisations can help to reduce unemployment and build stronger community ties. This aligns closely with the broader mission of public safety organisations to serve and uplift the communities they protect.
Ashley adds: “Apprentices engage in public education – visiting schools, running resident safety days at residential homes and more. All of this is strengthening MFRS’s community outreach and is helping embed our values locally.”
Apprenticeships are more than just a training route, they’re a strategic investment for the future of public sector and protective service organisations.
From building a resilient workforce and reducing recruitment costs to fostering diversity and strengthening community ties, the benefits are wide ranging and long-lasting. As new apprenticeship standards continue to emerge, employers have more opportunities than ever to shape their workforce from the group up. At SFJ Awards, we’re proud to support this journey as a leading EPAO of choice for many organisations in the public sector and protective services.
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