Why increasing you apprenticeship advertising spend won’t work

How we solve problems

Last week our car started to make a scraping noise whilst braking. Pulling up at traffic lights was embarrassing. People waiting to cross the road would grimace as we juddered to a stop. We needed to fix it immediately.

I dashed home and googled “scraping noise when braking” and was issued with an immediate diagnosis: worn brake pads and discs. Turns out I should have had the car serviced sooner. Then I’d only have to replace the brake pads. The scraping noise screamed a worse problem. In the automotive industry, “worse” means “it’s gonna cost ya”.

I googled “brake pad & disc replacement, Bury”. A number of mechanics fitted the bill and I booked an appointment. The fix robbed me of £200 and a few hours of my time. I got the pads repaired and the car has been a gem ever since. The whole process got me pondering about how using technology has morphed our daily lives.

The above is an example of how we tackle problems nowadays. First, you’re afflicted by a problem or challenge. Second, you grasp for the internet and google a solution. You probably also procrastinate on Facebook, but that’s for another blog.

This routine occurs whether you’re enduring car trouble, grappling with a crossword question, searching for the easter opening times of Tesco or perplexed by your homework. Google is so domineering it’s now a verb. A well used verb. I wonder how it is conjugated in German….

School and college students own this technology routine. They’re inculcated in the process. This technology has been part of their lives from the start. The habit is instinctive.

How students find careers info

Students explore careers in a similar fashion. They conjure an idea (or do not have an idea, but know they should have) and parry for the solution on Google. They trawl the results to find relevant information and comb the web pages to obtain answers to their career questions.

The problem is, what do they google in the first place? This is where confusion reigns supreme. They google what they know.

• Careers with business degree
• Jobs in Manchester
• Apple careers
• What to do after college
• Apprenticeships

The trouble is, students’ careers knowledge is limited. It is limited by what their parents preach, what their teachers espouse and, if they’re lucky, what they are advised in careers sessions at school or college (careers advice is no longer compulsory in secondary schools). As the Gatsby Report on Good Career Guidance expounds, careers advice and support in schools and colleges is far from the world class provision that young people deserve (and which the future economy needs).

A recent survey illuminated that only 15% of students consider apprenticeships to be a great career option. That’ll be the 15% who then google the term. The other 85% won’t bother. They’ll type something else and never discover the wide range of opportunities available. They’ll miss out. They won’t know that they’re missing out.

What does this mean for employers?

The new Apprenticeship Levy coaxes employers to increase the number of apprentices they employ. This will result in an explosion of adverts online for apprenticeships and increased attendance at careers fairs. There will be more competition for the 15% of students who identify apprenticeships as a pathway to future success. This new drive will find the same 15% audience. Quality is diluted, work force capability will dwindle and the UK’s entry level skills shortages will be exacerbated. At the very least, organisations’ struggles to hire relevant, work ready young talent will continue to grow.

How should this problem be countered? Attraction by saturating the advertising market will be ineffective. The winners will be those who EDUCATE.

How to solve the “google “ problem

Why do only 15% of students consider apprenticeships a good option? It is because of their sources of careers advice. Parents and teachers dish out this advice, and it is often limited to their own experience. Students never find out about much else. Two types of people then google apprenticeships: –

1. Those considered “not academic”
2. Those with switched on parents or careers advisers.

How do you reach the rest? The answer is to teach. Teach students about the careers you offer. Teach them about your requirements. Teach them about what a day at your company looks like. Connect them with your existing employees. Praise their work. Steer them towards a different way of thinking.

Kloodle enables you to do all of this. Here’s how it works.

Despite the power of Google, it can sometimes be limiting. How do you find something you aren’t aware exists? Google spits out the answers to what you put in. Your adverts are reliant on students entering the term “apprenticeship”. 85% won’t.

Fortunately, Kloodle can help.