There’s no shortage of conversation about the skills gap. Nor is there any lack of apprenticeship programmes claiming to fill it. But having spent years working with organisations of all sizes, I’ve seen the difference between training that ticks a box and training that transforms a business.
Meeting the baseline should never be the sole goal. For apprenticeship training programmes to be truly effective – for learners, for businesses, for long-term performance – they must be shaped like any strategic intervention would be: through consultancy.
When done well, the apprenticeship training programme evolves from a learning pathway into a powerful driver of business growth. But often, the design ends where it should only begin (with compliance), leaving the deeper value on the table, untouched, untapped.
Apprentices walk away with a certificate, but little else that meaningfully prepares them for the challenges they’ll face on the job. Businesses, meanwhile, miss out on measurable value. And all of this happens despite evidence that training, when thoughtfully executed, can dramatically boost performance, and help companies unlock 218% higher income per employee.
Even if your priority isn’t people-focused, the numbers make it clear: a consultancy approach to apprenticeship training programmes is an investment that pays off.
Compliance might satisfy policy, but it doesn’t inspire performance
Most apprenticeship frameworks, particularly at levels 3 and 5, are still guided by a need to fulfil national standards.
That’s not inherently wrong – those standards matter, and they should be met. But when they become the only measure of success, the bigger picture gets lost.
The best learning environments are those that treat each apprenticeship as a strategic asset rather than an obligation. It starts with asking different questions: What challenges is this organisation trying to solve? Where are the capability gaps? Which skills will be vital in 12 months? And crucially, how can individuals engage with the work in a way that’s meaningful to them?
This approach doesn’t reject the rulebook, it simply builds on it with far greater ambition. A consultancy-led approach ensures that training is tailored not just to curriculum requirements, but to the specific operational goals of a business and the lived experience of its employees.
Learners need relevance, not routine
According to LinkedIn Learning, 74% of employees are open to reskilling. So the appetite is there. But when training lacks relevance – when it doesn’t connect to day-to-day challenges or future career aspirations – that appetite fades.
I’ve seen apprentices sat in sessions wondering how what they’re learning will ever apply to their role. And I’ve seen engaged learners working on live projects that matter, whether it’s analysing real data or improving sustainability processes. The difference in outcomes is stark: training that fills times vs. training that actively improves personal and business growth.
This is where consultancy makes the difference. By understanding an organisation’s people, its market pressures and its strategic ambitions, we can design apprenticeships that land. Ones that develop not just capability, but confidence. Not just knowledge, but action.
Building skills that actually solve problems
A qualification doesn’t always equal competence. The modern workplace demands more than paper-level knowledge. It needs critical thinking, strategic problem-solving, digital fluency, resilience, leadership readiness. Apprenticeships that don’t cultivate these skills risk offering credentials without the capability to match.
Take data literacy. A standard programme might cover the basics: how to input figures, how to run a report. But a consultancy-informed programme goes further. It challenges learners to interpret trends, question assumptions and make recommendations. That’s the kind of thinking that turns apprentices into change agents, into champions of innovation and continuous improvement. And that’s where your ROI lives.
The Sodexo example: What good looks like in practice
Sodexo is a powerful case study in what happens when apprenticeships are embedded into the business with purpose. Rather than treating training as a parallel initiative, Sodexo aligns its programmes with business goals from the outset. Apprentices there are expected to step up, take ownership and deliver outcomes that move the dial.
What Sodexo has in place is a deliberate, strategic shift, not a token gesture. Its approach recognises that apprentices can be more than participants; they can be catalysts. By investing in consultancy-driven programme design, Sodexo has cultivated a workforce that’s agile, capable and genuinely invested in the company’s future.
Tailored training delivers long-term value
When we take a consultancy approach, we start by co-creating the blueprint: defining success with stakeholders, identifying organisational priorities and understanding how each learner fits into that context. It’s a process that takes more effort upfront, but that’s precisely why it works.
Through this lens, apprenticeships become a solution to real business problems, whether that’s building a stronger leadership pipeline, addressing digital transformation gaps or equipping teams for sustainable growth. With the right foundations, programmes become a core mechanism for driving meaningful, tangible progress.
This approach also gives apprentices a sense of purpose. They’re not just developing generic competencies; their learning is tied to real-world priorities, helping them achieve results that actually matter to the business. That relevance fosters higher engagement, greater retention and a deeper investment in their own career journey.
A smart investment, not a sunk cost
The Chartered Management Institute estimates that apprenticeships deliver an ROI of nearly 300%, with cumulative productivity gains of £7 billion over ten years. That’s no marginal gain; it’s transformative, and reveals a business case that would be foolish to ignore.
If we know the value is there, the only real question is how we unlock it. And in my view, the answer is simple: we stop designing apprenticeship training programmes in isolation. We build them as part of a bigger picture – bespoke to business, meaningful to learners and delivered through a consultancy mindset.
The companies that get this right won’t just meet standards. They’ll set them.
