Investing in the workforce creates stability and helps business owners increase profitability, according to Paul Gray of MRG Services UK.

“Research shows that organisations that lead, support and develop their workforce effectively are 17% more productive and 21% more profitable,” Paul said. “A typical apprentice delivers productivity gains of over £10,000 a year, and you can almost double that figure in the window industry.”

He said training and development are crucial for tackling two of the biggest challenges facing the industry: the skills gap with existing staff; and the struggle to attract younger workers.

According to a 2017 report carried out by the Department for Education, nearly 70% of employers say that employing apprentices has improved staff retention, and 65% of apprentices stay working for the company that trained them during their apprenticeship. What’s more, 86% of employers said that apprentices helped to develop relevant skills for their business and to fill their skills gap.

“There are two popular misconceptions when it comes to business owners investing in training and development,” Paul said. “The first is that apprentices need to be new members of staff, and secondly that training can be too expensive for an average business.

“Both are not true as an apprentice can be an existing employee as well as a new one and, as we are on the government’s register of apprenticeship training providers (RoATP), we are able to access government funding for most learners.

“There has never been a better time to invest in the future of your business. And development in your people is the best investment you can make.”