The top 3 things to consider before hiring an Apprentice

In businesses where key personnel (owners, managers, recruiters) are involved in finding the right people and a proper onboarding process is followed, the results can be off the charts! Deciding to get an Apprentice, find the one that’s right for your business and bringing them on is no different. The key to success is in mapping out your goals, their role, responsibilities and your expectations from the get-go.

Here are some points to consider when looking to bring on an apprentice:

1. Have a clear business goal for taking on an Apprentice

Any good apprentice programme relies upon businesses and business owners to have a clear understanding of why they need an apprentice and what they want to achieve.

Whether the aim is to secure a future workforce or to cope with work demand, these objectives must be set out clearly. By doing so it is not only easier to recruit the right candidate but employers now, also, have a benchmark by which to evaluate the overall success of the apprenticeship program.

2. Make sure there is a strong partnership between training provider and yourself (the employer)

The most essential and valuable role for the training provider to tailor their content towards the employer’s specific business needs and values. This is no simple process; it requires a detailed and deep-seated engagement with the company’s culture, identity and long term plans.

This joint delivery between employer and provider is a strong and proven model that will continue to be successful, whenever a training provider strives to become a training partner.

3. Company fit is crucial

While the candidate is on an apprenticeship, they are also a contracted employee, immediately placing an expectation of commitment on both the employee and the employer.

Time invested in getting the right talent is crucial, in order to ensure they stick out the course and go on to have long-standing careers within the business.

At present, many employers shy away from the initial time investment (because we’re all busy!) in finding, interviewing and selecting the right Apprentice. This, perhaps, accounts for the recent rise in Apprenticeship dropout rates, which currently stands at 31.1%. In many cases, these dropouts are because the Apprentice has not performed because they are still trying to work out what career they are looking for – expectation and reality can be two very different things. This is why, as the boss, it’s important to suss out why someone wants to learn a trade, what motivates them, what don’t they like doing ect.

How can an employer or provider expect a young person with a stated interest in IT stick out a course in retail? A clear understanding of their current motivations and goals is vital in placing candidates within the most suitable roles – it is the selection of the best-fit candidates that is the game changer. This is achieved by asking the right questions at the very beginning of the recruitment process.