With National Apprenticeship Week (10-16 February 2025), the Government announcing changes to the Apprenticeship Levy ‘which will help to deliver new foundation and shorter apprenticeships in key sectors,’ and the ongoing recruitment crisis in some sectors, it has never been more important to address how best to support mental wellness in the workplace for apprentices and new entrants into an organisation.
Why Supporting Apprentices’ Mental Health is Crucial
Today's apprentices are tomorrow’s workforce and business owners. Therefore, it is imperative that we support all young people as they start their journey towards a rewarding career to learn how to identify the signs of stress, anxiety, and depression not only in themselves but also in their fellow students and colleagues. By providing young people with the skills, knowledge, tools, and confidence, they can help create safer workplaces for themselves and others, making it the norm for organisations to manage mental health with openness and honesty.
Challenges Faced by Apprentices
Apprentices face a huge professional learning curve whilst also experiencing changes in their personal lives. At the same time as adjusting from education to work, they are learning their trade—both the theory in the classroom and practical application on-site.
In addition, they may have moved away from home for the first time, they will need to build new relationships, it could be their first time having to manage their own money, budget and pay bills, as well as looking after themselves practically, maybe learning to cook and take on responsibility for all the usual life admin.
Given how much change they are experiencing, it is hardly surprising that a Mates in Mind survey of 550 apprentices found that:
- 73% had felt stressed at least once in the previous week.
- Only 33% said their employer/colleague would notice signs of mental ill-health in others (the rest said no or unsure).
- 70% had NEVER taken part in any mental health training, yet 91% said they thought training would help them to manage their own mental health.
- Only 55% said they would reach out to someone if they were experiencing stress, depression, or anxiety.
In 2024, a study of young people (aged 16-25, but not specifically apprentices) found that:
- 40% had experienced mental ill-health.
- 21% had missed school or work in the past year due to their mental health.
- 18% reported that a mental health issue had stopped them from applying for a job or attending an interview.
- 29% worried that their current employer would not support them if they experienced mental ill-health.
Additionally, another study found that ‘fewer than one in six (15%) men and women told their employer that they were off work for mental health reasons. This suggests that there’s still work to be done to give people the confidence to admit that they have mental health concerns.’
Breaking the Stigma Around Mental Health
This is why it is time we address mental wellness in the workplace together removing the stigma that surrounds talking about it and the barriers to starting an early conversation before someone reaches a point of crisis.
Our academically evaluated programme is specifically designed with this cohort in mind. It addresses the pressures, both societal and personal, that students are facing and, through the train-the-tutor model, ensures that the college is able to embed this as part of their curriculum.
Proactive Strategies for Mental Health Support
At Mates in Mind, we advocate for a proactive, prevention strategy that empowers employers and employees with the guidance, skills, resources, and confidence to change their workplace culture and both identify and address contributory risks. We educate, train, and support employers and their employees, including apprentices and new entrants, across the whole workforce to ensure there is a continuous and comprehensive solution in place so that no one reaches crisis point and managing mental health becomes everyone’s responsibility. We work to ensure every conversation counts.
As a starting point, employers wishing to raise awareness of National Apprenticeship Week can find out more about this important awareness week and download free resources from Mates in Mind.
The Impact of Mental Health Training
A survey of apprentices which captured where they were before the Mates in Mind mental health awareness sessions to post-training found that the percentage of respondents able to:
- Explain what mental health is, rose from 62% to 74%.
- Spot the signs of someone who was struggling with a mental health issue, rose from 36% to 83%.
- Feel confident in approaching someone they felt was experiencing mental ill-health, rose from 40% to 78%.
Through empowering apprentices to spot the signs, start conversations, and signpost support, we can build a more resilient workforce and create positive mental wellness in the workplace.
