In today’s world more and more young people are looking towards apprenticeships to start their careers instead of the more traditional university route. In fact, the majority of 18 – 21-year olds would consider doing an apprenticeship (54% of 18 – 21-year olds would consider doing an apprenticeship according to a 2018 survey from Redrow) (1)
With more and more young people wanting to go into an apprenticeship it is becoming more important than ever to make sure that the best potential talent is applying for your apprenticeship positions. Here are just a few things you can do to make sure candidates are applying for your apprenticeship vacancies.
Don’t add to many mandatory skill requirements
The main reason people look for apprenticeships is to build their skills in an industry they want a career in. So, it’s important to remember that apprentices are at the start of their career journey and won’t have a huge range of skills.
Putting a large amount of required skills or knowledge in your job posting may put some candidates off, believing they don’t have a chance of getting the job due to a lack of skills. If you do state particular skills, mark these as beneficial but not required so that candidates who don’t have all of them will still be comfortable applying for the role.
And don’t forget, one of the best qualities to look for in an apprentice is a willingness to learn and a passion for what they’re learning. Make this your key requirement when looking for and selecting your chosen candidate.
Show candidates the value they’ll get from an apprenticeship
When candidates are looking for an apprenticeship, they need to be sure that the employer can offer them value. You’ll need to show potential candidates what different skills they’ll learn, who they’ll be working with and where it will take them in their career.
Show applicants the team they could be working with to increase their confidence to apply. Seeing that they’ll be working alongside industry experts who will share their experience and mentor them to develop new skills creates a greater sense of reality that their career can happen.
You’ll also want to communicate what the career progression looks like once your apprentice has completed their qualification. Show them what roles they can progress onto and how their career could develop over time. You should also make sure to include if there will be a full-time position available once the apprenticeship is complete. Showing an applicant where their career could progress onto will get them fired up and ready to apply.
Give real life examples of what your apprentice will learn & how it will be applied
The main attraction that applicants have to an apprenticeship is that they will be learning new skills that they’ll use throughout their career. We recommend that you show what your apprentices will learn and how their new found knowledge will be applied in their role and future career.
Being able to communicate how knowledge will be applied will give confidence to any prospective apprentices that your business is fully knowledgeable about the area that they want to develop their skills in.
Show off your company culture
When it comes to applying for an apprenticeship a potential applicant may have many options to choose from. One of the best ways to make your company stand out is by showing what your business is all about and your values. Tell applicants what it is that makes you proud of your business and why it is a fantastic place to work.
Also remember to show off how committed you are to helping your staff develop their skills. If you show that you are an employer that wants to help your team reach their potential, high quality applicants will again be more encouraged to apply.
Recruit a perfect IT apprentice with Estio Training
At Estio Training we can help your business recruit the perfect IT apprentice from our pool of top talent.
We offer a wide range of high-quality IT apprenticeships including software development, network engineering, digital marketing and many more. If you are interested in working with Estio to recruit and train an apprentice, click here to contact us, or call us on 01133 500 333.
Sources:
(1) https://www.peoplemanagement.co.uk/news/articles/most-young-people-would-consider-apprenticeship
