We’re turning the ultimate convention, that apprenticeships are only for young people, on its head. Regardless of age and stage, anyone can benefit from Apprenticeship Levy funding to up-skill and re-skill themselves. It’s an opportunity not to be missed.
Here we take a look at the facts surrounding apprenticeships and encourage people of all age groups to do an apprenticeship.
It is common knowledge that apprenticeships are an alternative route into higher education for young people. But what if we told you that this is one of the biggest myths surrounding apprenticeships in our lifetime? There is no upper age limit to becoming an apprentice. We are seeing a trend toward the over 40s (mid-lifers) opting for an apprenticeship to further their knowledge and skills, or facilitate a career change.
Watch Fiona Graham, Head of Marketing at Britvic Plc on why she chose to join our Level 3 Digital Marketing Apprenticeship later on in her career:
You can read Fiona Graham’s perspective on apprenticeships as published in Marketing Week.
The Great Resignation
The new year is the perfect time to assess where you are in life, set goals and make changes towards the things you are passionate about. We typically see this with the ‘new year, new me’ trend across social media with millions of people discussing what they will do differently in the year ahead or what they hope to achieve, however more and more people are taking the meaning of this seriously.
We saw two million people find a new job in 2021, known as the “Great Resignation”, where workers reassessed their post-Covid career options to find something more meaningful, that offered better pay and benefits or contributed to the maintenance of their wellbeing. The Great Resignation has given people hope that they could do something different that better aligns with their passions and values and there is no sign of it slowing down. So, is now the right time for a career change?
The BIG Career Change
The average age that someone opts for a career change is 39. This could be due to the fact that mid-lifers are more financially secure and flexible, enabling them to take time out or make a big switch. Equally, they may have reached a position where they have exhausted the right options and feel a change is required. We also need to consider that people live longer, work longer, and retire at a much later age. Data from Willis Towers Watson, found that almost a third of workers now expect to be employed after their 70th birthday. Our working lives are becoming extended providing further reason to try something new.
It is interesting that the average worker takes 11 months to consider a career change before making a decision. This demonstrates a commitment to analysing the risk involved in a career change and putting in assurances that it is the right decision for the individual. This is a very smart move.
The role of retraining
When someone retrains later in their career, they are typically more committed because of the significant risk they have taken – almost a leap of faith into the unknown. The Career Change Survey from ‘FindCourses’ found that a vast majority (89%) of respondents recognised they needed to learn something new to change careers; however, 27% of those were unwilling, or are unable to invest their own money to learn the right skills.
This disconnect between the number of people looking for new opportunities and a need to learn new skills, but a lack of available funds provides the perfect opportunity for apprenticeship training providers and individuals to come together. For example, an individual that enrols in an apprenticeship programme, will learn the new skills required to succeed in the role and be paid to do so. This mitigates the challenge around available funding for training—a win-win situation for all.
Retraining in marketing
For individuals considering a jump into marketing, there is even more hope. At the end of 2021, Marketing Week shared an article highlighting how marketing’s digital skills gap could become ‘unmanageable’ as proficiency across the industry declines. The Chartered Institute for Marketing (CIM) research found that marketers’ abilities in vital digital skills have stagnated or declined between 2020 and 2021 at all levels of seniority. CIM’s director of marketing, Gemma Butler, said: “The risk of getting left behind needs to be highlighted on the basis that technology isn’t going to wait and the need to continue upskilling is at a critical point”.
Given this existing skills gap across all seniorities, there is a clear role for apprenticeship programmes to help people currently working in marketing, or those making a career change to earn a qualification to aid them on their journey.
Marketing apprenticeships for over 40s
The marketing industry is ripe for new talent and expertise, and mid-lifers could be the key to closing this gap. Not only will they bring their existing soft skills into our industry, but we also welcome diversity of experience and thought to make marketing the most inclusive it can be. Age should not be a factor holding you back!
If you’ve been on the edge of thinking about a possible career change, but haven’t yet made the next step, then why not make 2023 the year of change! Prove that age is just a number, and join us on our Digital Marketing Apprenticeship Programme to learn the latest digital skills that will export you into the future.
