Anyone here had an Apprentice work for them through the government schemes?

Just wondering if anyone has used the Apprenticeship scheme? I need to take someone on to help with my workload but it will start as a part-time position and will suit someone in part-time education. I am looking for a junior so that they haven't fallen into bad habits. The Apprenticeship scheme sounds good on the TV but I'm sure there are some pitfalls that you only discover once you take someone on so just looking for anyone's experience of the scheme.

Cheers

a friend of mine who runs his own carpentry business has not long done this, im sure he said hes getting paid to take him on etc.
he seems quite happy with it anyway

Don't suppose you know if he would have any pointers or Do's and Don'ts? I will be researching the goverment websites but they won't highlight the 'real life' problems that may occur :)

Be careful of 'training' companies who have sprung up to service the need for Apprentices. As with any Government backed initiative it's full of fucking cowboys trying to make a fast buck.

From my experience it's better to go with local colleges who also offer the training. They'll usually have a pool of candidates to choose from, like any other job selection process. Also, once you find a decent training supplier, you can advertise the position yourself on free job sites such as Indeed and the Job Centre website. Before you do anything you should register here: http://www.apprenticeships.org.uk/~/...185435F49&_z=z

Cheers mate, exactly the kind of things I was worried about. I need to read through the government sites to understand how it should work but info like yours will help keep me out of trouble.

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Originally Posted by evilsatan

Don't suppose you know if he would have any pointers or Do's and Don'ts? I will be researching the goverment websites but they won't highlight the 'real life' problems that may occur :)

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if you have any questions you want me to ask him mate just PM me a list of them and I will happily ask him for ya

Look at taking someone on through a Traineeship first as you get them for six weeks and don't pay anything, bit like a try before you buy ;)

Good luck is all I can say.
We had one here where I work with a training place called QA, once your on their database you will be bombarded with calls offering anything and everything training related and every call is as if you have never spoken to them.

They assign a person to come and see the apprentice every few months and the first thing make sure on their first visit is the accident book and that the apprentice knows that they must report any injury or accident to them. They also ask each time they visit have they had an accident or suffered an injury almost before they even sit down. Which for an employer is vey disconcerting

They sent us 2 supposedly suitable applicants, the first was late then went on about how it didn't matter he was only doing it till he could join his uncle's company so a stepping stone to another job. the 2nd one seemed promising but turned out to be useless well up un till he stopped going out to college about 2 months from the end and he decided he actually wanted to work here so started to do work as he had been trained from the first week or so. He may have made a good employee but his lack of interest and action in the first 10 months was just too much and I think everyone had made their decisions on his future at the company.

A lot of time and effort went in to him and we got nothing back in reality so was a very disappointing experience for us.

A friend has also has one at the moment well possibly not as she decided she was going to university and handed her notice in about 2 months in. My friend was in the same situation as you wanted to take someone on with the look to creating a moulded employee perfect for your company. But all the time and effort has gone.

I think kids are looking at the apprenticeship as something that they do as an alternative to full time education and a bit of work experience and that it will be over in 12 months and not as what it once was as a way in to employment with training on the job. Shame really as lots of companies are getting taken for a ride by these training companies. Selling them as the old fashioned apprenticeships to create the perfect employee where those on them are just not interested.

Yeah you do get paid to have them and they work out an inexpensive way to fill a gap in your work force but remember they will be disappearing to collage for weeks at a time too.

I don't know if it's the same on shore jobs but with the offshore industry apprentices and cadets are employed basically as a means of dodging tax and getting tax back. The more cadets a company has the more they get back, minimal is put into training and the quality of cadets these days is shocking. 3/4 of them are a few months away from being qualified engineers and can hardly wipe their own arse.


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I signed up to CJs link yesterday and already I have had emails and calls from bluesheep.com, I haven't had time to check them out yet so don't know if I am on a register and will now expect to be bombarded by such firms.

I wasn't sure if I found my own suitable candidate I could use them in the scheme or if they have to already be in the scheme and looking for a place of work. I was concerned about taking on someone who might steal business or take the experience and fuck off. I know this is common but I had hoped to find the right person and treat them right, someone who doesn't want the hassle of running their own firm.

I think you get back from the Apprentice scheme what you put in. If you're a company just looking for cheap labour and don't want to nurture a young person and give them the support they need to grow, then you're not going to have a good experience.

We have had Apprentices walk through the doors who didn't want to work, and like any other employee like that, you get rid. However, the overwhelming experience for us has been positive. We have welcomed young people in, some as young as 17, and given them their first working experience. We have always viewed it as a long term process, never just a 12 or 18 month placement. And always with a view to offering the Apprentice a full time permanent role at the end of their training. This approach has worked for us and I'm happy to say 3 of our full time employees came via this method and they are among our most enthusiastic and dedicated members of the team.

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I wasn't sure if I found my own suitable candidate I could use them in the scheme or if they have to already be in the scheme and looking for a place of work. I was concerned about taking on someone who might steal business or take the experience and fuck off. I know this is common but I had hoped to find the right person and treat them right, someone who doesn't want the hassle of running their own firm.

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Yes, you can find your own. All you have to do then is find a local training provider and sign them up with them. We have done it through the local College as much as possible for training, rather than a training company.

Nice, that is my plan, I want to take someone on and they will shadow me as well as me training them in my workshop. I will then shadow them and when they felt ready they could make visits on their own. I am looking for someone to join me permanently and someone who I can trust and rely on. I can't afford to guarantee hours at the moment so the Apprenticeship was perfect as once I know I can take on more capacity I will start marketing more and that would enable me to guarantee hours after the scheme ends.

I will wait to hear back from the scheme to learn more and then decide how to find the candidates.

I work as a training advisor (assessor) and if i was you I would listen to what CJ has said, if your looking to get some one for £2.73 an hour then be prepared for them to fuck off at anytime because if someone offered you double the wage your on now I'm pretty sure 99.9% of people would fuck off to.

An apprentice should really be made contact with every month, on the first visit/sign up the apprentices assessor/advisor must check certain criteria I.E. health and safety and make sure they know their statutory rights.

Every 12 weeks or so a review must take place which will include checking on the welfare of the apprentice that will include again health and safety, equal ops, any personal or social issues, this is a must as part of the skills funding agency stipulation and the duty of care we have to apprentices.

And not guide the apprentice to CLAIM against the your company as someone may have you believe.