Recruitment apprenticeship: training up the next generation

Jo Faragher

Azmat Mohammed, Institute of Recruiters

Recruiters can now sign up for a new, tailored apprenticeship. What benefits could it offer for new and existing staff, asks Jo Faragher?

As a key weapon in the government’s war on youth unemployment, apprenticeships were never far from the business headlines last year. In 2012, there were more than a million online applications for, and half a million jobs created by apprenticeships, according to the National Apprenticeship Service.

Over the coming weeks and months, the recruitment industry will be able to get in on the act. From March onwards, a number of training providers will begin to offer a series of apprenticeships in recruitment, all of which will be certified by examinations watchdog Ofqual, and built in partnership with the Skills CFA, which develops apprenticeship frameworks. Crucially, these programmes will attract government funding, so agencies will have access to training for consultants where previously they might not have had the facilities or budget for it.

Paul Deen, marketing manager for Expedient Training Consultancy, which has been closely involved in the consultations on the qualification, believes this marks a milestone in how recruiters are trained.  “At the moment, we receive lots of applications from young people wanting to break into the recruitment industry, but few agencies offer a good internal training structure, or nothing formal. This is the first time in the recruitment industry that training practice will be accredited, and will be eligible for a degree of funding,” he explains.

Deen points out that, while many agencies have already entered consultants for the REC’s Certificate in Recruitment Practice, widely recognised within the industry itself, the apprenticeship could prove a more attractive option, at least financially. This is because the funding – together with the fact government regulations mean that apprenticeship wages can be lower than the national minimum – makes it a cost-effective way for them to grow and nurture their staff.

Tailor-made

Apprenticeships have been offered to the recruitment industry in the past, but consultants would have to complete their technical certificate in a discipline such as sales, marketing or business administration. Azmat Mohammed, director general of the Institute of Recruiters (IoR), explains that the new apprenticeship is tailored for recruitment: “This time it’s very specific, and key organisations in the industry have been involved in designing it. This belongs to the industry.”

The scheme has been more than a year in the making, with agency bosses, training providers and delegates from the REC and the IoR all involved in the steering group. Once the details of the qualification have been rubber-stamped by Ofqual, it can then be offered to examination boards and their training partners.

One of the main hopes of those involved in building the programme is that it will help to skill-up those who are already working in the industry. Until August, those over the age of 24 are still eligible for government funding – afterwards this funding avenue will only be open to those under 24 (although those above this age will be able to apply for an advanced learning loan). Of course, it’s also hoped that young people seeking a career in recruitment will choose this path in the future, as Mohammed explains: “You often hear the phrase ‘I fell into recruitment’, rather than it being a considered profession. We want people choosing from the onset to go into this industry.”

Adding value

Keith Lewis, managing director of technical recruitment agency Matchtech, was involved in the steering group behind the new apprenticeship, and will be looking to offer a recruitment apprenticeship scheme at some point this year. He believes that opening up a formal qualification route to consultants will help to professionalise the industry as a whole. “This increased pool of candidates will enable the recruitment industry to be more selective over its internal recruits and a formal apprenticeship scheme would provide a high quality and uniform knowledge and skill base for new recruiters,” he says. “The overall effect will be an increase in the quality of recruiters and the recruitment industry as a whole, moving forwards.”

The benefits of doing an apprenticeship have been well documented. Last year, a report by the CIPD found that hiring a Level 3 apprentice (the same level as the recruitment apprenticeship) could generate an additional lifetime benefit to the apprentice and their employer of £105,000. Forty-one percent of employers say that their apprentices make a valuable contribution to the organisation during their training period, while a further third report that apprentices add value within their first few weeks.

Mohammed at the IoR even believes that consultants qualifying through the apprenticeship could help agencies mine untapped revenue. “I estimate that around 70% of what’s involved in the recruitment process is not offered in current qualifications,” he says. “All of these processes that have been missing are mapped into the new qualification, so consultants will be able to offer additional services and build stronger partnerships. There’s a lot more money in recruitment if you can offer these services, and you’ll be able to get more revenue from existing clients.”

Kay Chouhan, director of Kinnect Personnel, completed an apprenticeship in administration before she moved into recruitment, and she believes it will help to broaden the experience of new entrants to the industry.  “It really helped me because I had a mentor in the organisation, and I was exposed to areas I had not been before. It gave me insights into different areas of the business and greater commercial awareness.”

Core components

While the exact details of the content are yet to be made public, it’s expected that the 12-month apprenticeship will comprise three core components: basic skills (entrants must reach a certain standard in maths and English); a vocational/functional qualification (where an assessor visits the apprentice to check that he or she is learning the relevant practical skills on the job) and the technical qualification, which will be a Level 3, learning-based qualification.

The apprenticeship is not limited to agency recruiters. The IoR, for one, will be offering apprenticeship programmes in both HR and in-house recruitment, and it’s hoped that this will play a part in breaking down some of the cultural barriers between HR and recruitment consultants.

“We’re shifting the way people think about these two disciplines,” adds Mohammed. “We want to create HR professionals who understand how they can use agencies to get the best outcome, and recruiters who can offer HR professionals really valuable services.”

And as the industry experiences upheaval – whether that’s a turbulent economy or the irascible advance of technology and social media – equipping agencies with the skills they need to survive can only be a positive thing.

For more details on the apprenticeship in recruitment, visit the Skills CFA website.