Thank you to everyone who joined our recent Inclusive Insights webinar delivered in partnership with Business in the Community NI. The focus of the event was on practical steps employers can take to use apprenticeships as a powerful route to attracting, developing, and retaining diverse talent.
We were delighted to hear from Richard Kirk from Workplus, who shared compelling insights about the future of our workforce. Richard highlighted that workplaces are facing a significant demographic challenge: in the coming years, we will have far fewer people entering the workforce, meaning employers must rethink how they source talent now to avoid critical shortages later.
He also noted that one in three advertised vacancies receive no applicants with the right skills, demonstrating a widening mismatch between business needs and available talent. Despite this, 43% of roles require a degree, while only 28% of the population, and crucially, only 10% of economically inactive individuals hold one. This gap underscores the urgent need for employers to reach more widely into untapped talent pools.
Richard also challenged the outdated perception of apprenticeships as being limited to certain industries. Today, apprenticeships span over 200 pathways, covering a vast range of qualifications and skills. Importantly, those who enter organisations through apprenticeship routes demonstrate exceptionally strong retention, making them a high-value investment for employers.
We were also privileged to hear from Joanne Lennox who shared her experience with a local construction firm, with insights from her 10-year journey of rethinking talent attraction and opening their doors to broader, more diverse candidates. Joanne emphasised several key lessons:
- Start with data: Understanding the talent landscape and being able to tell a clear story about the need for change was crucial in securing senior-level buy-in.
- Collaboration matters: As a single employer, the impact can be limited, but collaborating with others created a much stronger collective voice and expanded opportunities for new talent pathways.
- Widening talent isn’t just about young people: The organisation welcomed a range of new entrants, including women returners, who brought valuable experience but needed support when transitioning back into the workplace.
- Mentoring is pivotal: Matching apprentices and returners with the right mentors helped ease transitions, build confidence, and navigate new skills. Invest in a mentoring development programme, to support new starters but also upskill mentors – strengthening their leadership capabilities and feeding into development plans and KPIs.
- Start small and scale: Beginning with just one, or a few apprentices to enable learning and refinement.
The session was rich with learning, practical advice, and inspiring stories. A huge thank-you to both Richard and Joanne for their openness and insights.
We hope everyone who attended found the event valuable. If you’d like to watch it again or share with colleagues, the recording is available on request.
CLICK HERE to register to attend an apprenticeship ‘How to’ Workshop for HR Professionals run by Workplus. This is being held at Ormeau Labs on Feb 5 from 9:15am to 2pm.
