How to recruit an apprentice

Under the new funding rules, an apprenticeship is a genuine job, the apprentice can be a new member of staff or a current employee that needs skills development in order to take on new role responsibilities. The important thing is that the apprentice must be gaining new skills, knowledge and behaviours to undertake the role you have identified.

Once you have identified the role, look on the Education Skills Funding Agency Website to see if there is an apprenticeship Standard available to meet your role requirements. For further details visit the government apprenticeship page

The process below is designed for recruiting new employees but can also be used if you decide to offer an apprenticeship to existing staff and want to select the best candidate.

The role of the apprentice should be clearly set out in a job description so that people know what they are applying to do. A typical job description will include the following information:

i. Job title - this should clearly explain the role you want them to take on.

ii. A summary of the key responsibilities of the job - for this, think about what activities the apprentice will be involved in on a daily basis and summarise these as bullet points.

iii. The hours of work - what will be the start and finish times and how many hours a week will they be paid for.

iv. The salary – an apprentice must be paid at least the legal minimum wage.

v. Person Specification - this describes the attributes that the person you want to recruit should have and helps you when selecting from a number of candidates.

vi. Experience and Qualifications - if recruiting someone new, what qualifications and experience do you need your apprentice to have before they join your company.

The Apprenticeship Standard will contain role specific information which may help in the production of the job description and person specification.

Identifying the selection process you will use to shortlist applications prior to going to advert, this will help in the phrasing of the advertisement.

The selection process involves shortlisting applications against the Person Specification. Further selection then can involve interviews or an assessment centre where applicants are asked to carry out tasks relevant to the job. Notification of this process is often included in advertisement information.

The post can be advertised using the National Apprenticeship Service’s ‘Recruit an Apprentice’ Service and your vacancy can be placed on this site by your chosen training provider. This service is free of charge and allows apprenticeships to be advertised nationally.

The post can also be advertised in local media and a range of national recruitment agencies (subject to their terms and fees).

As most of our programmes provide graduate-level outcomes, you may wish to consider using the UCAS Apprenticeship website, where those who apply to university for fee-paying courses, can see apprenticeship opportunities linked to vacancies and apply in parallel to the normal university application. 

Interviews are very widely used in the selection process. Many employers will have an established process they use, but if you are a small organisation that is growing, this short guide might help you think about the approach you might take.

For the employer, the interview is an opportunity to:

i. gauge candidates’ experience, ability to perform in the role and suitability for the team

ii. discuss details such as start dates and terms and conditions

Structuring the interview helps improve its ability to predict performance in the job. A structured interview means that:

i. questions are planned carefully before the interview

ii. all candidates are asked the same questions

iii. answers are scored using a rating system

iv. questions focus on the attributes and behaviours or competencies needed in the job.

Assessment centres are also used for selection. They require candidates to complete a number of tasks that reflect the reality of the job. Good practice in delivering an assessment centre includes:

• They must be administered in a systematic way.
• The tasks reflect the type of work an apprentice will be expected to do on the job.
• All candidates are given the same types and numbers of tasks to complete.
• All candidates are given the same time to complete a task.

The University has a sample job description and related tools which we are happy to provide, please email apprenticeships@cumbria.ac.uk 

If, as a larger organisation you expect to have interest from more potential learners than you have funded training places, talk to us about developing a long list of applicants, going through our application process to confirm eligibility and then making a final selection to start on the programme. If you are over-subscribed, you could consider some starting on future cohorts as you additional funding or capacity to support them.

Once you have selected and employed an apprentice, contact your selected training provider. The University of Cumbria can advise you on the Higher Level/Degree Apprenticeships available and the process for applying and securing your funding from the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA). please see our section on the Apprenticeship Funding page.

Whilst the training provider will deliver the education and training content of the apprenticeship, you as the employer also have a number of responsibilities. These include: 

• Paying a legal wage
  
  
• Providing ‘on the job’ support and guidance for the apprentice
  
  
• Allowing the apprentice to complete ‘off the job training' in their normal work hours. (NOTE - off the job training, must represent a minimum of 20% of an apprentice’s paid hours, capped at 30 hours per week for funding purposes only, this means that the minimum requirement, for apprentices working 30 hours or more per week is an average of 6 hours of off-the-job training per week (i.e. 20% of 30 hours) over the planned duration.)
  
  
• Not asking the apprentice to fund any part of their training.
  
  
• Engage in regular reviews of progress with the apprentice and training provider.
  
  
• Allowing the apprentice to complete the End Point Assessment.

Legal Minimum Wage

There is a government legal minimum wage for all apprentices in their first year of an apprenticeship. This rate changes on 1^st April every year. Check the National Minimum Wage website for the current rate.  Apprentices aged 19 and over in the second year of their apprenticeship must be paid the minimum wage for their age. However, you need to consider that to attract the right applicants, you may need to offer a better salary, especially for a Higher or Degree level apprentice.

Many employers now use the National Living Wage as a minimum for apprentices. Remember your apprentice is an investment in your company’s future and setting the salary at the right level will attract and retain better candidates.