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With job vacancies hitting a record high of close to 1.3 million, the Aldermore Group, which includes MotoNovo Finance, is committing to a broad apprenticeship programme designed to bring on new talent in the motor retailing sector, in a sign of the industry’s push to support young people in the workplace.

Managing director Karl Werner explained: "We provide exciting and diverse opportunities for apprentices across our business in what might not have been perceived as a traditional apprentice environment.”

Werner noted: “The apprentice landscape is changing by age, gender, type of industry and wages earned. I am proud that we are open to these developments, providing fresh career access to people no matter what their background."

At present, across the Aldermore Group, there are 60 apprentices groupwide studying professional qualifications that include data analytics, leadership, software development, compliance & risk, customer service, business administration, HR, accountancy and digital marketing.

Werner pointed out that these employees are learning skills that, to many, may be very different to those connected with perceived apprentice activities, which have traditionally been linked to learning a trade under the guidance of a time-served expert, often for limited financial reward and sometimes structured as an indentured practice.

In contrast to the older style of apprenticeship, Aldermore currently offers 36 different development pathways, categorised into three areas:

  • Core apprenticeships are learning pathways that are accessible to all colleagues, irrespective of business area. They provide the broad capability requirements for Aldermore Group’s success. They support fundamental knowledge, skills and behaviours for example, business administration, management and leadership or customer service.
  • Professional apprenticeships allow targeted “career specific” development. They support colleagues to professionalise their functional responsibilities and benchmark skills, knowledge and behaviours to industry standards, for example, HR, marketing and finance.
  • Technical apprenticeships act as a key enabler to digital transformation, helping realise efficiencies and innovation within the tech space. These build resilience in Aldermore Group’s network infrastructure and create an organisation that is fit for the future, for example, software testing, cyber security and data analytics.

Werner concluded: "In some quarters, there may have been a belief that when compared to going to university, apprenticeships were an inferior option. At MotoNovo, we don't think that way. We are on a mission to open the doors to both young people and older adults as well to create fulfilling, boundaryless careers."

Government support

All new apprenticeships are designed by employers, so that essential knowledge, skills and behaviours are imbedded in the programme from the start. As a result, according to government research:

  • 51% of apprentices reach a management position within the first 5 years or less
  • 1 in 5 companies have a former apprentice at board level
  • 71% of apprentices remain with the same employer on completion of their qualification
  • 90% of apprentices stay in work post-apprenticeship There is more information about government support for employers offering apprenticeships here.

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