Recruiting the right candidate is a reason often cited to us by employers as a barrier to engaging with apprenticeships. Additionally, prospective learners often say they find it difficult to find the right apprenticeship vacancy. So we’ve put together some of our top tips for finding the right apprentice – we’ve even put together a package of support that we offer employers.
1.Plan your timeline
Recruiting the right apprentice demands a well-structured timeline that ensures you don’t miss out on potential talent. It’s crucial to have a clear roadmap for the entire hiring process. Start by setting a goal for when you want the apprentice to begin work, and when your training providers next cohort is starting. Then, work backward from that date to establish milestones for different recruitment stages.
2. Cast the net wide
The more ways and places you advertise the more chance you will have of reaching the right person. Whilst industry-focussed job boards might do the trick for traditional roles, as a starting point for apprenticeships we’d recommend using a mixture of job boards, alongside the government’s find an apprenticeship service (https://www.findapprenticeship.service.gov.uk/apprenticeshipsearch).
3. Be creative
The more creative your approach the better, using social media, videos and interactive approaches to publicise your apprenticeship vacancies will not only increase your reach but you’ll stand more chance of capturing the attention of talented applicants.
4. Make your adverts clear and simple
For many potential apprentices the position they are looking for may well be their first job and whilst they may be interested in a particular subject area and have bags of potential they may not be familiar with job roles or industry specific terminology.
When writing your job description avoid using technical or complex language, don’t assume a prior sector knowledge and make it relatable, for example describing a typical day as an apprentice rather than simply listing responsibilities.
5. Find out what support your training provider can offer
When engaging a training provider it’s always worth asking what kind of recruitment support they are able to provide. They might be able to provide advice about where to advertise or provide a full recruitment service – see below for what Kent can offer.
Ways Kent can help you recruit the right apprentice
1. Preparing a job description
The first step to finding the right candidate is putting together a job description that is attractive to candidates. We can work in partnership with you to devise a job description that meets your business needs and is suitable for your apprenticeship vacancy.
2. Advertising your vacancy
Kent has access to a range of different channels to advertise apprenticeship vacancies, including an in-house database of candidates interested in pursuing apprenticeships and posting the vacancy on the University of Kent website.
3. Candidate shortlisting
We are able to screen CVs and applications to select the most suitable candidates for interview, at this stage we can also inform and provide feedback to those who have been unsuccessful.