Apprenticeship Training vs Commercial Training – What’s The Difference?

Have you ever wondered what the difference is between an apprenticeship route versus a commercial route is? Look no further as we talk about the key differences and benefits between the two. Both apprenticeship and commercial training offer your team the opportunity to learn something new; the main difference is how your business wants to grow and who in your team you want to upskill.

Let’s start with a commercial training route. Commercial training is available to all businesses and staff within those businesses. When a company is looking to develop a member of the team, they will enrol them on their chosen course, payment is made, and the training is completed. A tried and tested way of developing your team.

Commercial training makes for a great option when wanting to refresh the knowledge of an existing team member who has already completed an apprenticeship or prior training. Selecting only the relevant topics you’d like your team to know can give you the option to tailor each team member’s learning and maximise time and money spent.

Pros:

• Flexibility – Only complete the training modules needed within your team.
• Eligibility – Anyone can be enrolled on a commercial course.
• Time – Some topics can be completed within a day.

Cons:

• Cost – 100% of the cost is required from the business.
• Support – There is no mentor or further guidance available once a module is complete.
• Qualification – Depending on the number of modules completed, a full qualification may not be available.

Why Choose a Commercial Training Route?

If you’re looking to develop a team member, who may have had prior training or experience, then the commercial route will give them the knowledge they need to develop themselves within the working environment.

Did you know? If an employee had previous training in a subject area, such as University, a different commercial course or an apprenticeship, they may not be eligible for an apprenticeship.

An apprenticeship is available to both a new employee (which we can help you recruit for FREE with our complimentary first-class recruitment service) and existing employees of any age looking to learn in a new area of the business. The main benefits of an apprenticeship are the cost savings and retention of employees.

Government funding available to businesses often covers 100% of the training costs, with some only having to pay a 5% contribution towards training (if the apprentice is age 25+). This makes apprenticeships one of the most cost-effective ways to grow and upskill your team. If your company pays into a Levy pot, then funds can be drawn from this also. Learn more about the apprenticeship Levy here.

Pros:

• Government funding – 100% of training costs can be covered by Government funding*
• No NIC – If your apprentice is under 25, then the business will not need to make any National Insurance Contributions.
• Employee retention – Statistics show that employees who are being developed often stay with an employer for longer, and with natural progression routes available, this is even more likely.

Cons:

• Eligibility – Stricter eligibility criteria around previous training or experience.
• Time – Apprenticeships last from 15 months to 30 months, depending on the qualification.
• Internal Mentor (within the business) – To support with development, an internal mentor is needed to ensure learning is being applied.

Why Choose an Apprenticeship?

Choose an apprenticeship if you’re looking to grow your team with new ideas and future talent or upskill your existing team by teaching them new skills. Alongside this new knowledge, apprentices have the guidance of an expert mentor to support the application of skills in the workplace to ensure best practice is followed and efficiency maximised.

Our Managing Director, Tracey Mosley, summed it up in a recent meeting; “If a business is simply seeking knowledge for a team member and already has the necessary systems and infrastructure in place, a commercial training course is often the most appropriate route. However, if the goal is to drive meaningful change, adapt existing practices, and improve processes, that’s when an apprenticeship truly adds value. This could mean upskilling a current team member or onboarding someone new.”

Both an apprenticeship and commercial training are great development routes for your team, and with commercial options available for all of our training from level 2 AAT, Marketing, Data Tech and CIMA, we can work to support your business needs. If you’re unsure which is right for your team or business, then let’s have a chat and see which best suits your business’s future plans.