Traineeships give young people the opportunity to complete a work placement in a real company. Trainees are aged 16-24 and must complete at least 70 hours of work experience during their placement. Placements normally last between 6 weeks and 6 months, but the maximum duration has currently been increased to 12 months due to Covid-19.

Think of traineeships like offering extended work experience. Companies often offer work experience to younger people to give them a taste of what it’s like in the real working world. Traineeships are similar, but trainees are aged 16-24 – older than typical secondary school work experience students – and placements last a little longer (at least 70 hours).

Offering traineeships brings multiple benefits to your business. Trainees are older than typical work experience students and have an active interest in your industry, so they'll be extra resource during their placement. Plus, you don’t have to pay trainees, but can claim £1,000 for each trainee you take on.

How do traineeships benefit employers?

Develop your talent pipeline

By offering traineeships, you’ll have first access to budding young people in your industry. You can see how the trainee fits into your business in advance, and if they show promise, you may want to offer them a junior position or apprenticeship at the end of their traineeship. You can develop your talent pipeline and trial potential recruits without having to pay advertising and agency fees.

Qualify for the employer incentive

To encourage businesses to offer traineeships, the Government has introduced an employer incentive scheme. Employers receive £1,000 for every trainee they take on, up to 10 trainees per company.

Extra resource at no cost

Trainees need to be mentored and monitored, but they’re also extra resource for you and your team. They could support with a key piece of work, help you meet a deadline or complete tasks you otherwise wouldn’t have time to do. Traineeships are free to businesses, but you may want to support trainees with expenses such as travel and meals – it's up to you.

A fresh approach

Trainees are young, enthusiastic people who want to start their career in your industry. They’ll bring a fresh approach and new ideas into the workplace – helping your existing staff think more creatively about how they do things.

Improve employability

Traineeships help talented young people take the first step in their career. It gives them the skills they need to succeed, improves their employability and increases your business prospects.

Traineeships give employers the opportunity to bring fresh ideas into their business, increase productivity, develop their talent pipeline, and support the next generation – all at no cost to them.

To find out more about offering traineeships – from employer responsibilities to claiming the incentive – download your complete employer’s guide to traineeships.