Name: Bill Beckerleg
Number of Apprentices: 2
Occupational Area: Business Administration
How did you hear about the Apprenticeship scheme?
We have been recruiting Apprenticeships through City training for quite a few years and feel we have an excellent working relationship with this Training Provider.
Why did Southampton City Council decide to recruit Apprentices?
Southampton City Council is very proud that employees are happy to work for us and tend to stay with us for a considerable amount of time. However, we have often found it difficult to recruit younger employees. After discussions with our HR and Placements Officer, we decided that the Apprenticeship Scheme was a good initiative to help us overcome this recruitment issue. It meant that we could recruit new staff via the Apprenticeship programme every 1 – 2 years. We have taken on 10 Apprentices over the last few years and 6 of them have remained with us as permanent employees!
How do you find releasing the Apprentice for the day-release programme?
We do not find this a problem and have systems in place to ensure that daily work continues in the normal way. We are a ‘family friendly’ employer and have a number of employees who are not on the Apprenticeship scheme who work part-time. A work rota is set up so that we know who is not available on any day of the week.
When we started the Apprenticeship scheme we had to ensure that there were enough ‘mentors’ for the Apprentices. We have found that those employees who have been Apprentices themselves can make excellent mentors for the new intake of Apprentices. They tend to have a really good understanding of what it is like to be a new recruit and offer lots of support and encouragement to the new staff.
Would you take on another Apprentice in the future?
Yes definitely! We plan to continue employing Apprentices as we have done over the years. As one Apprentice finishes, if there is a place in the team, then we speak to City Training to find suitable applicants to apply for the new position.
Would you recommend the recruitment of Apprentices to other organisations?
Most definitely! I think that other organisations should look at it as an alternative to the usual recruitment processes. We find it very effective as a means of getting new, young people into our organisation. They bring different skills, new ideas and fresh thinking into our teams.
What difficulties have you come across in having an Apprentice?
I feel that we have ironed out some of the ‘teething’ problems that we had at the start. It is important that the team is organised and that a mentor is available to the young person in the event of any difficulties arising. Recruiting an Apprentice is the same as having any new employee, they both need training and support. We believe that Southampton City Council offers excellent support and training so that the Apprentice can carry out their role in an effective manner.
Any other comments?
We have an excellent relationship with Carol Holt, the Trainer/Assessor for Business Administration at City Training. There has always been excellent communication and feedback between City Training and Southampton City Council and we hope to continue this relationship into the future.