Right. We’ve all been there. You’re on a job search and you’re applying for anything and everything and just praying that there is a one-click application button. However, if you’re applying for apprenticeships using the “find an apprenticeship” portal, you have a little bit more work than that to do. As a company, when we advertise roles on this portal we will regularly review our applicants. The process goes a little like this:
- Check the applicant lives within an acceptable distance from the role;
- Check all of the fields are complete and to an acceptable standard;
- Read the application details and assess whether it is valid for the role;
- Contact the learner if all of the above meets our level of quality requirements.
The first two points are incredibly important. There aren’t many stages involved in our process, so if you don’t pass those first two, you’ll be immediately unsuccessful.
In this short guide, we wanted to talk about the application process and how to complete applications effectively so that you improve your chances of getting calls/emails from recruiters working at training providers. During the application process, you’ll see the following sections:
About you
What are your main strengths?
What skills would you like to improve during this apprenticeship?
What are your hobbies and interests?
Education section
Be sure to complete these sections and input all of the grades that you’ve achieved from school, college, or university, etc. Leaving this blank is a sure sign that you likely won’t get contacted. Be sure to check the GCSE requirements if there are any in the ad. Some providers will only accept candidates with English and maths at grade C/4 and above for example. Have any certificates ready to send over to a recruiter if they ask for them.
Work experience
Fill in whatever you can here. If you’ve not had any previous work experience, that’s absolutely fine.
General tips for filling out your applications
- Be sure to dedicate some time to filling each application out on an individual basis. Try to refer to elements of the advertised job as it shows you’re trying and investing time into being successful. If you can’t be bothered, why will the training prover?;
- Make sure each section is complete to the best of your ability;
- CHECK THE JOB LOCATION. Please, please, please make sure that the role is within 1 hour of travel from your home. If it’s an in-office role, you’re going to need to travel each day potentially. So, be honest with yourself as to whether you’re going to actually be able to travel to the workplace. We’d usually only consider candidates that are withing 45 minutes of a location;
- Have your CV ready for when you’re contacted by recruiters. We usually follow up with emails to get copies of applicant’s CVs. Be sure to have one ready to send over.
Other than that, you should be fine. It’s a numbers game at the end of the day, so keep at it and you’ll eventually get there.
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