Built From Within: Over a Decade of Apprenticeship-Led Growth at Thriving MSP

Network LTD is a Managed Service Provider delivering IT support, infrastructure, and web services to clients across multiple sectors. Operating in a fast-paced MSP environment, the business places a strong emphasis on service quality, client relationships, and long-term team development.

Very early on, Network saw the value of investing in apprentices and developing talent from within. Since 2014, Network has trained 15 apprentices through Baltic Apprenticeships – a decision that has directly supported the business as it scaled dramatically over the last decade.

Rather than competing in the market for the same experienced hires, the business chose to continue to build capability internally, using apprenticeships to develop people with a willingness to learn, and who understood their clients, systems, and standards from day one.

What began as a response to recruitment challenges has since become a deliberate, long-term workforce strategy.

Taking The Pressure Out Of Recruitment

Recruitment is a significant but often underestimated stress and cost for MSPs. Traditional hiring can involve hours of reviewing CVs, multiple interview stages that draw on senior staff time, and a period of onboarding before a new hire becomes fully productive.

“We speak to other MSPs all the time who struggle to hire and retain people. For us, apprenticeships have just worked – it’s the route we’ve stuck with.”

Jack Marshall, Associate Director, Network

By working with Baltic Apprenticeships and hiring 15 apprentices, Network has avoided an estimated 375 hours of senior leadership time that would otherwise have been spent screening CVs and shortlisting candidates. Baltic’s recruitment team manage this process for apprentices, allowing Network’s leadership team to focus on selecting for cultural fit rather than sifting through applications.

Alongside the apprenticeship model, another approach Network has taken is active hiring as opposed to reactive hiring. The team bring an apprentice in ahead of that demand, giving new starters time to learn the business, systems, and ways of working before workloads peak, rather than hiring during busy periods, having new starters catch up at speed and being expected to cope.

Hiring earlier takes the pressure out of recruitment. It avoids the urgency that often comes with reactive hiring, where teams feel forced to compromise on fit just to fill a gap. By hiring ahead of need, Network can be more selective, taking the time to choose someone who genuinely fits the business.

“We don’t focus on what apprentices know technically when they join. We look for enthusiasm, willingness to learn, and how they deal with people. The technical side can be taught.”

Jack Marshall, Associate Director, Network

When hiring apprentices, for Network, technical skills aren’t the priority. Instead, Network looks for people who are keen to learn, comfortable speaking to clients, adaptable, and willing to get stuck in. Enthusiasm, curiosity, resilience, and good communication matter far more than prior IT knowledge, which can be taught on the job.

How Apprentices Fit Into Day-To-Day Delivery

In the early weeks, apprentices spend time shadowing the team, getting familiar with systems, hardware, and how the service desk operates. They start with lower-risk tasks and simpler tickets (the low-hanging fruit) building confidence while learning how the business works and how clients are supported.

“As long as you’re willing to give apprentices a bit of time, it works. Even when they don’t hit the ground running straight away, it doesn’t take long — and sometimes they surprise you.”

Jack Marshall, Associate Director, Network

As their confidence grows, they begin handling first-line tickets independently. Within a few months, most apprentices are dealing with a steady volume of support requests, speaking directly with clients, and learning how to manage real situations rather than theoretical ones.

This works particularly well in an MSP environment. High ticket volumes mean apprentices are exposed to a wide range of issues early on, and the pace of work encourages them to learn quickly, move on, and improve. There’s little time to dwell on mistakes – instead, it’s about resolving issues, understanding what happened, and applying that learning to the next ticket.

By the end of their first year, apprentices at Network are handling a meaningful share of monthly ticket volumes, becoming a reliable part of day-to-day service delivery rather than an overhead. This has a direct impact on the wider team; routine work is absorbed earlier, freeing senior engineers to focus on escalations, complex problem-solving, and project delivery.

Building Certified Capability Across The Team

Certifications play a key role in setting a consistent baseline across the service desk. They give clients confidence in the people supporting them, strengthen credibility in sales and marketing conversations, and ensure technical capability is built evenly across the team.

For Network, apprenticeship qualifications provide the foundation, developing core technical and professional competencies. Since working with Baltic Apprenticeships, Network’s apprentices have consistently achieved strong outcomes in their apprenticeship programmes. Of the last 10 apprentices to complete, all have passed successfully, with the vast majority (90%) achieving Merit or Distinction grades.

Alongside the apprenticeship qualifications, apprentices at Network have also completed additional industry-recognised certifications, including Microsoft and CompTIA certifications (worth up to £2,800). These additional courses are delivered through Baltic’s pioneering Be-Spoke model where learners complete tailored AI, Expert, and Be-Spoke Modules. These modules go beyond the standard apprenticeship requirements and are not always included in traditional apprenticeship programmes.

This means Baltic apprentices gain both a formally recognised apprenticeship qualification and additional vendor and industry certifications as part of a single journey.

Retention, Progression, and Stability

One of the clearest long-term impacts of Network’s approach has been retention. Apprentices who join the business tend to stay significantly longer than many externally hired roles, giving the team greater stability over time.

Since 2011, Network has hired 16 apprentices, and 11 of them are still with the business in 2026. On average, apprentices at Network remain with the business for around four years – a notable outcome in an industry known for high turnover.

“People we bring in as apprentices tend to stay with us longer. They grow with the business, and that makes a big difference over time.”

Jack Marshall, Associate Director, Network

That longevity is closely tied to progression. Network deliberately hires at junior level and develops people as the business grows. Apprentices move from first-line support into more senior technical roles, and in several cases into leadership or management positions. As new apprentices join, more experienced team members are naturally pushed up, creating progression without forcing artificial roles.

Several former apprentices now hold senior roles within the business – including Jack Marshall, who joined Network as an apprentice and is now an Associate Director. Having progressed through the same pathway himself, he now plays a key role in hiring and developing the next generation of apprentices.

As apprentices grow up in the business, they tend to be well aligned with Network’s processes, standards, and client-focused way of working. That alignment reduces early attrition and helps preserve knowledge that would otherwise be lost through turnover. Over time, this has helped stabilise service delivery and reduce the need for repeated recruitment cycles – a clear advantage in a busy MSP market.

Today, 85% of Network’s day-to-day operations are being delivered by current or former apprentices – demonstrating that apprenticeships are not a support function, but a core part of the business.

Final Thoughts

Over the past decade, apprenticeships have played a central role in Network’s growth. The business has scaled significantly during that time, and the senior leadership team is clear that this would not have been possible without the ability to grow talent internally, retain it long term, and embed it into day-to-day delivery.

“I genuinely don’t think we’d be where we are today without apprenticeships.”

Jack Marshall, Associate Director, Network

For MSPs facing ongoing skills and retention challenges, Network’s experience demonstrates how an apprenticeship-led approach can reduce reliance on the external hiring market, build long-term stability, and support growth without compromising service quality.