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Taking on an apprentice


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Hi,

 

We have just agreed to take on our first appprentice, after being approached by the local college. Did not really expect much response to advert as we are quite rural! However, we got 14 applicants. Now the hard part, sorting through these 14 hopeful 16 and 17 year olds and having to dissapoint most of them.

Has anyone taken on an apprentice before, if so can you advice me, did you treat as a normal job application, interview process? Have you got a list of questions you would ask, without overwhelming them. Any help would be appreciated. Have not been manager long enough to have gone through recruiting a new member of staff let alone an apprentice.

 

Thanks Joanne

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If there are 14 good applications then it's hard. Normally we invite anyone who looks good on paper to come and have a look round and meet us we chat with them about what they do for hobbies - it gives a sense of who has a bit of 'oomf' about them and who has any enthusiasm. We then tell them that we're meeting lots of people and we will choose who we would like to come for an interview. Then we ask the ones we'd like to interview to spend an hour in the nursery before their interview so that we can talk about whether they notice things - as they will just have been with the children. we ask really easy questions like 'what were the children up to?', did you notice any children particularly?' With an apprentice you're looking for willingness and suitability - we view it as we can teach you how to do the job but we can't teach you how to love it!

I've taken on staff in the past who've got no childcare experience but who have just joined in and played with the children - that's half the battle!

good luck

pw x

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Haven't any real experience of an 'apprentice' Joanne - but I completely agree with purplewednesday - I would definitely want to give applicants some time on the 'shop floor'........I have had many 'work experience' students who haven't the first idea of how to make any connection with children at all and have been more than happy to sit at an activity totally silently :( I would be looking for some/any signs of aptitude :1b

 

Good luck! :1b

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Thank you both for your advice. I like the idea of observing in the setting and then keeping things simple, by asking for their observations and comments about what was going on and watching their interaction with the children. Thanks again, I now feel feel that I have a starting point which will suit the applicants and me :-)

Joanne

Edited by Joanne123
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Hi there,

Did the college not sort through the applicaions for you?

If they are going to do an apprenticeship with you, then the college needs to know if they are capable of getting them through their functional skills first( if they havent achieved good grades for maths and english). They should do this by means of a test.

Theres no point in hiring an apprentice if they're not able to do the functional skills as they won't complete the qualification therefore heading for a fall.

I work for YMCA training and we do all this for the employer prior ro the interview, and shortlist it down to about 5.We also dont wait to enrol them as colleges do.

Any help or advice let me know!

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Hi acaralocklogan,

 

Thanks for your reply. No, I do not think they sorted through, although I had expected to them to! Certainly didn't expect 14 CV's to be forwarded and then left to get on with it. I'm sure when the idea was put forward to me it did seem as though more help would be available. If they had completed a test for functional skills would this show on a cv as one applicant had D and E grades, but showed great initiative and enthusiasm for working with young children.

Joanne

Edited by Joanne123
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