As part of the United Kingdom’s National Apprenticeship Week 2023, the British Coatings Federation (BCF) are encouraging coatings employers to take advantage of the wide range of apprenticeships available to help recruit the next generation of talent into a career in the coatings industry.

Tying into this year's theme for National Apprenticeship Week of ‘Skills for Life,’ apprenticeships are a great way of equipping young professionals with the skills to set them up for a career in their chosen industry. BCF's Apprenticeship Service can help paints, inks, and wallcoverings companies find and hire new apprentices across all disciplines and functions and can also help larger coatings and printing ink companies spend their U.K. Apprenticeship Levy funds. The service has been purpose built for BCF Members by the Apprenticeship Training Agency (ATA). 

There are around 600 available apprenticeship programs in England, and with at least 95% of the training costs being funded by the government, apprenticeships are a cost-effective way of developing the knowledge and skills of the workforce.

The ATA can work with employers to put individuals through apprenticeships or whole teams. For any department that they have within your business, there will be a range of relevant apprenticeship programs at appropriate levels to suit all members of staff, regardless of experience. Some examples of the departments that businesses may have could include: 

• Accounts and finance 
• HR 
• Sales, marketing, and procurement 
• Administration and customer service 
• IT and cyber security 
• Digital 

The services provided by the ATA are available for both small and large organizations, and the service will be tailored to suit the business's specific needs. Employers will have direct access to a designated account manager who will be able to answer any questions they have and provide support whenever they need it.

Employers can also take advantage of BCF’s agreement with Tiro, a specialist trainer provider for science and technology apprenticeships, which will also give funding for the BCF’s Coatings Training Institute courses. Tiro’s level 3 Laboratory Technician and Science Manufacturing Technician apprenticeships will both utilize six modules from the Coatings Training Institute as the knowledge element of the apprenticeship. 

“BCF actively supports apprenticeship schemes and we hope to see more members taking up opportunities to train employees across the coatings sector in future,” said Tom Bowtell, CEO of the British Coatings Federation. “We believe we have some great solutions for our members to take advantage of, and apprenticeships are a great way to either upskill existing staff or bring in new recruits. Our team at the BCF Apprenticeship Service are fully committed to helping the coatings industry with this significant challenge faced with recruiting new staff in the current climate. So, check out our Coatings Careers Hub today and find out how you can make a difference.” 

For more information, visit: https://coatingscareershub.com/apprenticeship-service/.