By Karen Barnacle, People & Culture Director, The HEX Group

We are pleased to see Royal Mail’s recent announcement in The Times about gifting £1 million a year to support SME apprenticeship training. Any initiative that shines a light on the importance of vocational learning should be welcomed – especially when it champions smaller businesses that are the backbone of our economy.

At The HEX Group, apprenticeships are at the heart of how we grow – not just as a business, but as a community. But we also understand the reality many SMEs face: while the intent to invest in young talent is there, the capacity to do so is often not. The infrastructure, support systems, and expertise needed to run a high-quality apprenticeship programme are significant – and that’s where good ideas risk falling short.

That’s why we created our Managed Apprenticeship Scheme – a unique model where we train not only our own apprentices, but also those of other local manufacturing businesses. We’ve seen the difference this makes. From recruitment and training delivery to pastoral care and long-term development, we take on the heavy lifting so that SMEs can focus on giving young people great opportunities – without the need to start from scratch.

Financial support is a great first step. But if we want apprenticeships to thrive, we need to match funding with hands-on, practical delivery models that genuinely meet the needs of both businesses and learners.

We’d welcome a conversation with Royal Mail – and other large organisations committed to making a difference – to explore how we can turn good intentions into long term, lasting impact. Because when it comes to building a strong, skilled future workforce, collaboration is key.