Employer Overview
OTC Apprenticeship Recruitment Process
Thank you for contacting OTC with your apprenticeship vacancy. Our aim is to find
the right Apprentice for your business. We will work closely with you throughout the
process. Our role does not stop after you have filled your vacancy, OTC will provide
ongoing support throughout the duration of the apprenticeship programme.
We will …
Take your vacancy details
Advertise your vacancy
Review our existing applicants
Screen and select applicants (new/existing)
Arrange initial assessments and
interviews
Send CVs /profiles to you
You interview
Decide
Employ/offer work
experience/placement
Reject and give feedback
The candidates will be selected via your requirements and have the potential and
aptitude to make a positive contribution to your business.
Your vacancy will be promoted through



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a variety of online job boards including the National Apprenticeship Service
weekly vacancy bulletin to candidates and applicants (our current bank)
Promotion in centre via careers resource area and vacancy bulletin board
Open events at the centre
External events such as careers fairs
How long will this process take?
There are many variables in this process:
o Number of available and suitable
applicants
o Volume of applicants – higher volume
means more time spent sifting and
selecting
o Type of vacancy
o Pay rate
o Competition
o Progression and career opportunities provided by the company
o Location of the business - how accessible by public transport for example?
o Where applicants are in the process i.e. have they been interviewed by OTC
and completed initial aptitude tests
We aim to advertise all vacancies within two working days. We will continue to
promote your vacancy until it is either filled or withdrawn by you.
You are in control over who you recruit and they are your employee.
The above variables mean, in practice, that it is difficult for us to predict how long it
will take to fill your vacancy.
We recognise that some companies want or expect an apprenticeship vacancy to be
filled very quickly. Sometimes, that is achievable and we will do our best to work to
your timescale.
However, we cannot guarantee this – the job market is a changing, dynamic and, at
times, unpredictable environment.
Our aim is to find you a quality applicant who, when trained and developed, will
make a positive contribution to your business. Sometimes these steps and decisions
take a little longer than expected.
You may wish, after you have interviewed applicants, to offer a candidate the
opportunity to spend some time in your workplace so you can more fully assess their
aptitude for the work. Guidance on some of the issues to consider can be located on
page 4/5.
Issue 3 27.6.16
1
What happens when someone applies to OTC for an apprenticeship vacancy?
When someone applies to us for an apprenticeship vacancy, there are processes we
must follow. In summary we need to:
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
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Invite candidates to OTC to undertake an initial aptitude test and interview
Provide them with information about the apprenticeship programmes and
framework and answer any questions they may have
Discuss our employer vacancies with them
We also offer them
 Interview preparation sessions
 CV drop in clinics/workshops
OTC has invested in assessment tools which identify an applicant’s aptitude in
respect of their chosen career. An online and timed assessment will assess an
applicant’s aptitude across three engineering disciplines as well as literacy,
numeracy and information technology.
A data checking test will assess an
applicant’s aptitude for office related work.
What happens when I have selected my apprentice?
We are obliged to:



Check that the proposed work environment is safe for them to work and train
in; this may require us to visit you beforehand
Ensure that the apprentice undertakes English, Maths and ICT diagnostic
tests so we can ascertain the level of support we will need to provide during
the programme
Carry out an programme and centre induction (often half a day in centre
before they start work with you)
When they have started their employment with you, we will arrange for an OTC
Vocational Training Advisor to visit to discuss the apprenticeship programme,
complete the required documentation, answer any further questions you may have
and make arrangements for a programme start.
Is there a fee for this service?
There is NO fee for the service we provide in helping you to find a suitable
apprentice. However, we undertake this service on the understanding that you will
work with OTC to develop your employee through the apprenticeship framework.
You may, of course, wish to recruit your apprentice direct and then use OTC as your
preferred supplier. You will, of course, need to comply with statutory requirements
with regards to paying an apprentice the National Apprentice Rate as a minimum.
Issue 3 27.6.16
2
Why choose OTC?
Vision
We aspire to be
the leading
provider of
learning and
training within
the local
community,
recognised for
the outstanding
quality and
experiences we
deliver.
Core Values
Service offer
50 years in business
Quality
Reputation built on
trust
Valuing People
Accredited Trainers
Customer Focus
Subject specialists
Excellence
Bespoke training and
coaching solutions
Employability
Extensive course
portfolio
Rolling programme
Customer focused
team
When you use OTC as your preferred supplier, you will also receive (in addition to
ongoing support for your apprentice and their development), the following:
 Free OTC membership for the first year which gives you a range of
benefits including substantial discounts on course fees (health and safety,
management, professional and interpersonal, accredited and non
accredited)
 Access to a range of professionals: Health and Safety, Human Resources
and Learning and Development
 Access to a range of free resources to support learning and development,
performance management and organizational development
Why not request a copy of our OTC Membership pack to see how you would benefit
from this value added service?
Issue 3 27.6.16
3
APPRENTICESHIP APPLICANTS
AND ‘WORK PLACEMENTS’
Selecting the right apprentice from a pool of often inexperienced candidates
sometimes requires a different approach. In addition to changing the interview
approach, some employers ask if it is possible for a candidate(s) to spend time in the
workplace – before offering an employment contract - so they can assess their
aptitude for the job role and work alongside their level of motivation.
Some employers use the term ‘Work Trial’ to describe the arrangement. However,
this term is more commonly used in the context of Job Centre Plus clients and is
associated with a set of employer obligations. We would, therefore, recommend
employers be mindful of the terms they use when describing opportunities for
potential apprentices.
Offering a candidate an opportunity to spend some time in the workplace – with the
intention of this leading to a position with the company and a place on an
apprenticeship framework – offers potential benefits for both employers and
apprenticeship applicants.
Employer
Issue 3 27.6.16
Applicant
Relatively risk free - you
can assess the applicant
before making a final
decision
Opportunity to show
what they can do and
to see if they are
suited to the work and
the company
You know they are
keen and enthusiastic
because they’re
agreeing to participate
in the arrangement
Chance to acquire new
skills and to consider
the training and career
opportunities on offer
4
OTC is supportive of employers who may wish to offer an apprenticeship applicant
/candidate the opportunity to spend some time in the workplace before reaching a
final decision on a position with the company. We recommend the following best
practice guidelines to employers by way of ensuring that any arrangement is safe,
fair and successful:

The duration of any agreed work experience or work placement with the
company (for the purpose as described) should last no more than 10 working
days which is a sufficient period of time to assess someone’s suitability for a
job role. Problems may arise for employers where work being done by the
applicant can be classed as actual employment and the longer the duration,
the greater risk that this may occur.

The arrangement must be agreed with OTC and the applicant(s) in advance

The new rigorous initial engineering/data checking assessment results can be
used to help determine the suitability of the applicant alongside the outcomes
of any work experience or placement; this helps reduce the length of time
needed to make a final decision.

Expenses and/or payment must be agreed at the outset; OTC recommends
(as a minimum) that ‘out of pocket expenses’ should be met by the employer.

A Health and Safety assessment must be in place before the applicant can
take up the opportunity and employers must provide appropriate PPE (where
appropriate or required).

Apprenticeship applicants must be directly supervised at all times and receive
a health and safety induction at the beginning on day one.
Apprenticeships are a proven method of developing future skilled employees and are
an investment for the future. Offering an applicant an opportunity to spend time in
the company, for the purpose of a more robust assessment, should form part of an
employer’s selection strategy and, as such, be appropriately planned and executed.
The employer accepts full responsibility for the safety, welfare and wellbeing of any
apprenticeship applicant who is spending time in their workplace as a precursor to
being offered employment and an apprenticeship.
For further advice, please contact Kathy Chew at OTC on [email protected]
or phone 0161 624 5360.
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