Employers

Hire an apprentice

Apprenticeships are a cost-effective way for employers to recruit fresh talent, upskill your existing workforce, and increase your profit margin.

With government funding of at least 95%, incentives of up to £3,000 and a talent pool of eager apprentices all wanting to work for recognised employers.

We work with many apprentices and businesses throughout Staffordshire and the West Midlands and are delighted to have been announced as the best Further Education College for Apprenticeship Training and the Best College in West Midlands for Apprenticeship Achievement award this year.

This, coupled with the year’s earlier success seeing the college recognised as the top college in the West Midlands for Apprenticeship Achievement, rewards the hard work and commitment of staff to deliver an outstanding apprenticeship provision for its apprentices

Contact our apprenticeship team and we’ll get in touch to talk you through hiring an apprentice.
Email the team

FREE online CPD courses for your employees

FREE Level 2 distance learning courses

Study a wide range of courses in Health and social care, Children and young people, mental health, IT and digital skills, workplace and business skills and health and fitness. Take a look at the full list of distance learning courses, and apply online today.

View Our Distance Learning Courses

Virtual and Augmented Reality

South Staffordshire College has been developing the use of virtual work experiences for our learners. We have been exploring how we can specifically incorporate virtual reality and augmented reality into student experiences. Providing students with experience of industry is a vital part of what we offer, so we are better preparing them for life after education.

Although this was primarily introduced because of covid, what we have discovered that the inclusive nature of virtual experiences has the potential to provide all learners an opportunity to experience industry setting, in circumstances when otherwise they would have been unable to. Ensuring that the project is fully inclusive and available to all.

Providing our learners with VR & AR experience of work settings is also beneficial for employers that work in a high-risk setting. Using VR & AR we will still be able to ensure our learners experience these settings, but from the safety of home and college. Our virtual work experience programme will remove barriers of cost and geographical location for our learners. This Virtual Work Experience project enables more young people to engage with you as employers to develop an understanding of the world of work in a meaningful way.

Dependent and the time you can commit, there are three distinct levels of involvement that you can choose from:

Level 1 – 360 recording

Level 1 requires the least minimal input from you the employer/industry specialist. The 360 degree recording of key rooms, settings, and areas within the place of business is simple and easy and will be undertaken by a member of staff from South Staffordshire College and using our 360 camera to scan each room takes minutes.

Level 2 – 360 recording and interview

Level 2 includes all of level 1 plus the option to record on camera information about you, the employer, the setting you work in, pathways into employment, progression, and anything else you think relevant. Face to face interviews can then be embedded in the 360 virtual images to enhance the virtual experience.

Level 3 – 360 recording, interview and learner visit to industry setting

Level 3 includes all of level 1 and 2 plus we would invite employers to meet our learners on campus or in the industry setting. Work with SSC to develop a virtual work experience programme.

All 360 recording and footage will be made available to employers that take part. Contact Claire Pinder-Smith for more info – claire.pinder-smith@southstaffs.ac.uk

Skills Advisory Panels

Here at SSC we want to be sure that our courses contain the right skills for your industry, so that when our students move into the world of work they can be an instant benefit to businesses across the region and beyond.

All FE courses have input at national level from, typically, large national employers, which is a major benefit but, as the organisations most likely to employ our students after they successfully complete their studies, we want to ensure that local businesses have a voice too.

Our Skills Advisor Scheme is a way that local businesses can help us best prepare their future workforce. Our intention is that each course or industry sector at SSC will have a Skills Advisory Panel who work with us to review the content of the relevant course to confirm it is entirely relevant to the industry sector. Where it isn’t we can often make changes in the units delivered or make representation nationally so your voice can make a huge difference to what skills your future workforce gain.

Skills Advisor Role

As a Skills Advisor you can have a real impact to shape skills delivery in terms of course content, delivery and more. However, you don’t need to be an educationalist, your expertise is what you know about your industry, what skills are needed now and by working with us review the content of the relevant course to confirm that unit/topic detail is fully relevant to the current workings of your sector.

You’ll have the opportunity to engage with a range of college staff, many of which came from your industry into teaching. This will be through ‘in person’ and online sessions. Beyond this you might want to demonstrate your sector or organisation to a pipeline of future potential employees. You may choose to be a guest speaker, host student visits to the workplace for tours or activities, run a short masterclass/careers talks or offer work experience placements. However, the level of engagement beyond advising on your industry’s needs is entirely up to you.

In return for your time and expertise you will be ensuring the future workforce has the skills you need. In addition, you will receive VIP invites to a range of awards events we hold, be sent our termly employer newsletter and have access to regular updates on what funding becomes available to help you and your business be successful. Furthermore, you will have access to 1000’s of students that might just be your next recruit.