As an owner of an Apprenticeship provider, and as an employer of Apprentices I have unique insight into how to make the most of an Apprentice. While it isn’t an easy task for businesses to hire apprentices, there are significant time and effort involved. However, you should not underestimate the positive impact that this opportunity can have on the lives of apprentices and the immense benefits that this training will bring.
These are my top tips for maximising ROI for both employer and apprentice when you embark on this important partnership.
Recruit your Apprentice effectively:
We employ people through many different methods, not just the Government Apprenticeships site. However, this does not mean that you cannot also share our vacancy via your social media. After we have found an apprentice, and they have gone through our 100-point vetting process, we recommend that you follow these steps:
Telephone interviews can be used to filter out candidates and narrow down the list to the most passionate and confident. Because they have spoken with you over the phone, it allows nervous applicants to perform well in face-to-face interviews.
Interviews – While many employers are happy to have a casual conversation with potential apprentices, we recommend that you conduct a structured interview just like any other new hire in your company. Plan your questions around the essential qualities and abilities you are looking for.
You can test the ability of the Apprentice by giving him a task after his interview. This will allow you to evaluate the work of applicants. Send the same brief to all applicants and verify the work for accuracy, quality and speed of retune.
You can give them a trial day (or longer, if necessary) to show you their abilities and how fast they work. This is a great way to find out if they can work well in a team and how efficient they are at completing tasks. The Apprentice will get to experience the role and decide whether it is for them.
Introduce the Apprentice to your staff and explain their role. It will help you to assess if they are a good fit for your work environment and if it is the right choice for them.
Each applicant will have to fight for your job. They will be more grateful if they worked for the job.
Effectively train your Apprentice: Apprentices must spend an average of 20% of their time shadowing, training, developing, or developing. This will help them not only to work towards their qualifications but also make them a more valuable part of the company.
To help the Apprentice develop their skills and move forward in their job, teach them. Make sure that Apprentices are constantly challenged in order to keep them motivated and improve their skills.
Discuss your goals and set realistic targets. Regular meetings should be held with your Apprentice in order to ensure that they are thriving in their job and to set goals for what the future holds.
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