At The Apprentice Academy, we are on a mission to help as many employers as possible to create job opportunities and tap in to the wonderful world of Apprentices. Over 10 years of experience has taught us that some businesses are better suited to starting a scheme than others. Are you ready to recruit? We’ve developed a quick checklist for companies who might be considering hiring an Apprentice for the first time.
Is the business in a growth phase?
Is the business growing or do you find that admin activities are taking up valuable time? Apprentices are perfectly placed to take lower impact tasks off more experienced staff to create a leaner, more productive working environment.
Do you currently employ 5 or more employees?
Success shows us that in most cases – at least 5 staff should be employed in the business in order to have enough time to train Apprentices effectively and allow them to add more value. Your Apprentice learns best when they can observe a variety of staff in the workplace. As this creates a fully rounded experience for them.
Can you support an Apprentice whilst giving on the job training?
Having a dedicated manager or supervisor who has the time to give feedback and support is key to how your Apprentice will learn and grow. This will allow them to become fully operational and add value very quickly to a business. Apprentices must also be given a minimum of 6 hours per week to enable them to learn new knowledge and skill, so this time must be factored into the working week.
Is the apprentice role relevant?
Relevance is key when hiring an apprentice. Will they be working in a Finance role? An accountancy apprenticeship programme would make the most sense. Working in Data? A data programme would make the most sense. If it’s a an administration role, the business admin programme is the way to go. Make sure that there is enough in the role to allow the apprentice to complete every element of their apprenticeship.
Are you open and transparent in your communication?
Feedback, feedback and more feedback is how an Apprentice will flourish and grow. You must be able to communicate openly to get the best from them. All our apprenticeships include progress reviews every 12 weeks, which gives managers and apprentices a chance to share feedback with their dedicated coach.
Is your answer to most of these questions yes? Then you are certainly in the right place and ready to recruit an Apprentice with your organisation. The process is very simple to implement and with the right training provider to support you every step of the way, amazing things can happen.
If you’d like more information about hiring an Apprentice, call us on 0161 200 1763. Or head over to our recruit an apprentice page.